AMC charged $400,000 for Breaking Bad ads

Firms paid top dollar to be associated with the final episode of the hit show

Breaking Bad's finale was a critical and commercial success (AP/AMC)

US network AMC charged up to $400,000 (£248,000) for a 30-second advert in the season finale of Breaking Bad, putting the critically lauded Vince Gilligan show in the same commercial league – albeit briefly – as ratings juggernauts Modern Family and American Idol.

Last week, the show nabbed more than six million viewers in the US, but that figure was expected to rise significantly for last night’s finale.

According to Advertising Age, AMC has been charging between $130,000 and $140,000 (£81,000 - £87,000) per 30 seconds for this series, but upped its price to more than $300,000 (186,000) for the show’s very last episode.

However, some advertisers claimed the price tag was easier on the pocket, at $200,000 (£124,000).

In the US, this level of advertising spending isn’t uncommon. Ad breaks in the finale of Lost in 2010 generated $900,000 (£558,000) per half-minute.

The holy grail for advertisers is the Super Bowl, which costs between $3.8m and $4m ($2.35m and $2.48m) per slot.

In the UK, event TV such as the X Factor final can persuade firms to part with serious cash. In 2010, when One Direction and Cher Lloyd reached the final, slots reportedly went for up to £250,000.