The Oscars broadcast, on Feb. 24, is expected to be an advertising boon for ABC. The network, which has the broadcast contract through until at least 2014, is said to be snagging $1.82 million for every 30-second spot. American Express, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Mars/Masterfoods, MasterCard, McDonald's, JCPenney, L'Oreal, and Dove Cream Oil have all signed on for the privilege.

But with the price of a half-minute spot up 7 percent from last year, Madison Avenue would like to know: Are these rates being … inflated?

Of course, silly! But not that much.

In 2007, ABC recorded a fat 40.2 million viewers for its 79th Annual Academy Awards broadcast. At $1.7 million per spot that year, ABC ended up charging 4.23 cents per viewer.

But the important distinction here is that 2007's broadcast had more viewers than 2006, where 38.9 million people tuned in. That's a viewership increase of 3.31 percent.

Ad rates in 2007, meanwhile, were estimated at $1.7 million, or or 7.06 percent less than this year's cost.

Considering inflation was up 2.4 percent in 2007, in sum that's a 5.71 percent increase.

So either ABC is adding 1.31 percent for ego — or they're expecting that, against all odds for award shows, the audience will increase.

(Oscar ads in 2006 cost $1.65 million; 2005 cost $1.6 million.)

By comparison, the Super Bowl snagged 97.5 million viewers this year, but it charged a base of $2.7 million, or 2.77 cents per viewer. (Some advertisers paid a premium of as much as $3 million.)

In 2007, the Super Bowl cost $2.6 million per spot and snagged 93 million viewers, a 4.84 percent increase in viewership and only 3.87 percent increase in price.

So ABC might have its Oscar metrics about right, but not all advertisers feel that way. AT&T, Bank of America, Careerbuilder.com, Kodak, and Microsoft all felt their hands forced; none of them will be advertising during the Oscars this year.