• by Wayne Friedman , November 17, 2011

Regis Philbin's last day on ABC's "Live with Regis & Kelly" daytime syndicated show will create a hefty advertising windfall. Thirty-second commercials in Philbin's final episode on Nov. 18 have been sold for $250,000, most of which was bought by advertisers during the upfront market in June, per media buying executives.

The "Live" finale would be a healthy increase from the show's regular-season 30-second commercials in the Disney-ABC Domestic Television show, which media executives say was in the $25,000 to $35,000-a-unit range.

Representatives from Disney-ABC Television had no comment.

The sale of the inventory came in the midst of a strong market for many TV platforms -- broadcast and cable networks and TV syndication. Media sellers witnessed high double-digit percentage increases on CPMs, anywhere from 12% to 17% and more.

This would not be a record for a single episode of syndication talk show. That went to "Oprah Winfrey" last September at around $1 million for a 30-second spot. In her heyday, Winfrey could grab some $100,000 or more for that unit during regular-season episodes. At the end of her talk show run, Winfrey was getting around $50,000 to $60,000 for a 30-second ad.

The highest prices for a 30-second commercial unit for talk shows currently in syndication are being registered by CBS Distribution Television's "Dr. Phil," Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution's "Ellen" and Disney-ABC Television's "Live with Regis & Kelly" -- anywhere around $25,000 to $35,000.

A number of guest hosts are slated to co-host with Kelly Ripa over the next couple of weeks -- including Jerry Seinfeld and Neil Patrick Harris.

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