NBC obviously put a lot of work into promoting the new live performance of The Sound of Music, starring Carrie Underwood in the role of Maria Von Trapp, the role filled by Julie Andrews during the original film. The promotion campaign seemed to have paid off, as the broadcast brought in a huge viewership. But that doesn't mean the network made its money back. The Hollywood Reporter got numbers from analysts putting the production's budget at around $9 million.
NBC hasn't confirmed or denied any reports of its spending on Sound of Music yet, but there's little doubt that it cost a few schillings. Take into consideration the going-prices for big names such as Underwood and True Blood's Stephen Moyer (as Captain Georg Von Trapp), plus the time it took to rehearse this thing. For comparison, the average episode of NCIS has a $2.5 million episode (albeit that's only one hour, compared to Music's three).
Of course, NCIS also continues to bring in revenue through syndication and re-runs. The Sound of Music will be broadcast one more time during 2013, but it won't pop up randomly on TBS. The goal at NBC seems to be hoping they can make a yearly event out of the program, drawing in a large amount of viewers every year during the Christmas season. That strategy, according to THR, is a huge money-maker for CBS' Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and ABC's A Charlie Brown Christmas. Those holiday classics bring in a huge returning audience every year, which also helps the respective networks to raise prices for advertising during their slots.
Those specials are, however, awesome. The Sound of Music has been largely panned by critics after its Thursday night performance. That's not to say NBC won't bring it back, because there's no arguing with 18.5 million viewers, even from a dud. Those who disagree with the critics' findings can also boost NBC's revenue stream by buying the DVD of the performance when it comes out December 17.