What does a commercial cost?

By Syntax Motion, Vienna. Updated: 19 September 2026

A traditionally shot 30-second commercial for online channels usually costs 4,000 to 15,000 € net to produce, a broadcast-ready TV spot usually 15,000 to 50,000 €. A 30-second AI commercial from Syntax Motion starts at 3,500 € net, because shoot days, crew and locations fall away. A short social spot starts at 1,000 € net. The cost of airing it on TV or on platforms comes on top in both cases.

Production and media: two separate bills

"Commercial cost" covers two different items. Production cost is paid once, for making the spot. Media cost is paid for every airing, on TV, in cinema or as an ad online.

This page covers production only. TV media costs depend on channel, slot, time of day and target group; the channels' ad sales houses publish them in their rate cards. For ads on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube you set the budget yourself.

Production cost at a glance

The production cost of a commercial depends mainly on whether it is shot. Traditional spots need shoot days with crew, equipment and location. Hybrid spots film only the people and add the rest with AI. Pure AI spots need no shoot at all, but more work in generation and post-production.

The ranges for traditional production come from publicly available prices of production companies in Austria and Germany, excluding media budget. Sources, retrieved 19.09.2026: Eigenart (Wiesbaden), ROCC Film (Berlin), FIUMU (Cologne) and Skyline (Salzburg).

What your spot costs, we tell you in the call

The ranges above are the market, not your offer. What your spot costs depends on the number of shots, how much realism it needs, the formats and the revision rounds. In 30 minutes we look at your project and you get a fixed price, not an estimate.

What does an AI commercial cost?

An AI commercial from Syntax Motion starts at 3,500 € net for the base film, meaning the finished spot for your website and YouTube. A short social spot starts at 1,000 € net. There is no listed price for TV, because usage rights decide it there. The price rises with the number of shots, the level of realism and the number of variants. It costs less than a shoot because crew, equipment, location and travel fall away. The work moves into direction and post-production.

AI is not a push of a button. Every shot is generated, checked and corrected individually. The typical formats and what is included are listed on Pricing.

Cost factors

In traditional production

• Shoot days: every day brings crew, camera, lighting and travel costs.
• Locations and permits: rent, road closures, backup dates for bad weather.
• Talent: fees and buyouts, often limited by time, territory and medium.
• Art department: set building, props, food styling, make-up.
• Post-production: editing, colour grading, effects, sound, music licences.

In AI production

• Number of shots: a 30-second spot often has many short shots. Each one is developed and approved individually.
• Realism: people in close-up need more passes than landscapes, macro shots or fantasy worlds.
• Product accuracy: AI rarely reproduces labels, logos and packaging exactly. They are corrected in post-production.
• Sound: music, voice-over and sound design, licensed or AI-assisted.
• Variants: formats such as 9:16 and 1:1, cut lengths and language versions cost on request.
• Revision rounds: the number is set in the quote, each additional one is charged by effort.

The waste behind the price

The item most quotes leave out is selection. For every shot that reaches the finished film, we discard at least five. A one-minute film takes around a hundred generations, of which about twenty are ever seen by an audience. Agencies advertising very low prices usually save exactly here: the first usable shot is taken instead of the best one.

All in, an AI production at studio level costs around a quarter of a comparable shoot in our experience, and runs three to four times faster. These are our own figures from live projects, not market data, and they apply to projects that can be generated at all. Where a shoot is the better choice is set out further down.

Example: a 30-second commercial

For a 30-second product spot with voice-over, music and three formats the costs shift like this:

The quote lists each item separately: concept and script, styleframes, generation and post-production, edit, colour and sound, plus the formats. A classic shoot adds crew, equipment, location and cast; with us those fall away. The base film starts at 3,500 € net, a social spot at 1,000 € net.

What a quote should include

Quotes for commercials can only be compared when they contain the same services. Check these points, with us and with any other provider.

• Approvals: at which points do you see work in progress before production continues?
• Revision rounds: how many are included, and what does each additional one cost?
• Usage rights: for which media, countries and period? Our default: unlimited in time, worldwide, for your own digital channels including paid advertising on them. Television, cinema and out-of-home go into the offer separately.
• Music and voice: are licences for your channels included?
• Formats: which aspect ratios and cut lengths are delivered?
• Labelling: who takes care of notices under the EU AI Act and platform rules?

When a shoot is still worth it

AI is not always the cheaper choice. If specific real people have to appear, such as your team or well-known faces, there is no way around a shoot. Long dialogue with exact lip sync and products whose label must be readable in every shot also drive up the effort. In those cases we recommend a hybrid production. A detailed comparison is in AI video or traditional shoot.

Frequently asked questions

Read on: AI commercial examples • Pricing • Glossary • About us