- OpenAI Could Charge Premium Ad Rates Without Offering Detailed Engagement Data to Advertisers
- ChatGPT ads will be based entirely on impressions rather than click-based performance metrics.
- Users who pay for GPT Plus avoid ads, leaving free subscribers exposed to marketing
As OpenAI prepares to introduce ads within ChatGPT, early signals have suggested pricing that rivals some of the most expensive media inventory available today.
Reporting from The information has stated that the company is internally considering rates of up to $60 per thousand visits.
This figure puts ChatGPT ads in the same cost range as live broadcasts of the National Football League, including premium spots for the upcoming Super Bowl.
ChatGPT Ad Pricing Rivals NFL Live Streams
OpenAI has not publicly confirmed these figures, leaving potential advertisers to rely on limited disclosures and third-party reporting.
The proposed pricing model is based on impressions rather than user actions. Advertisers would pay for how often an ad is shown, not how often it is clicked.
OpenAI has also not shared detailed data on click performance, either for ads or outbound links to publishers whose content is used during model training.
Available signals suggest that click-through rates are likely very low compared to traditional search platforms, particularly Google.
A media buyer who works with early advertisers said OpenAI plans to provide only high-level performance data, which would include total impressions and total clicks, without deeper breakdowns or behavioral insights.
An OpenAI spokesperson compared this informational approach to television advertising, where audience exposure matters more than direct interaction.
That comparison is central to how OpenAI appears to justify pricing that reflects live sports broadcasts.
Ads are expected to appear below ChatGPT responses, rather than being woven into the responses themselves.
The company stated that the ads will not influence the responses generated and that personal information, including health data, will not be used to train models for advertising purposes.
Users on the free tier or the $8 Go subscription are expected to see ads, while those who pay $20 per month for GPT Plus can avoid them.
It is expected to launch in the United States in a few weeks, marking the beginning of monetization of an established artificial intelligence tool.
Unlike social platforms or search engines, ChatGPT does not naturally encourage clicking away from the interface, complicating comparisons with existing digital advertising markets.
The central question, however, is whether impression-based pricing at the NFL level makes sense without transparent engagement metrics.
TV ads benefit from decades of audience measurement standards, while ChatGPT is still defining how attention should be valued within an AI interface.
Without clearer evidence of user interaction or subsequent impact, advertisers may struggle to assess whether ChatGPT impressions are driving results.
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