Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Entertainment advertisers in the United States ran markedly cheaper clicks than the broader market, with Facebook Ads CPCs tracking at roughly half the global benchmark for most of the period. The arc is seasonal and pronounced: a spring trough, a steady summer lift, a sharp Q4 climb culminating in December, and a steep reset in January 2026. Volatility was higher than the global median, with outsized month-to-month swings and a standout late‑year spike. This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Entertainment in the United States compared to the global benchmark.
United States Entertainment median CPC started at $0.66 in January 2025 and ended at $0.31 in January 2026, a 53% drop driven by a sharp early‑year reset. Across the full window, CPC averaged $0.58, ranging from a low of $0.31 (January 2026) to a high of $0.92 (December 2025). Within 2025, the intra‑year trough arrived in April at $0.40, followed by a gradual climb through summer and a pronounced Q4 run: $0.59 in October, up to $0.72 in November, and peaking at $0.92 in December.
Monthly moves were notable. The largest jumps came late in the year—+$0.13 from October to November and +$0.20 into December—while the biggest pullbacks hit in April (−$0.22 versus March) and the January 2026 reset (−$0.60 versus December). Volatility averaged $0.15 per month, showing sharper swings than the global benchmark; excluding the January reset, average monthly movement was still $0.11, underscoring a choppier cadence than the market overall.
The rhythm follows familiar CPC trends for entertainment: softer costs in early spring (April–May), steady firming across summer (July–September), and accelerated costs in Q4 when demand intensifies. H1 2025 averaged $0.52, while H2 2025 averaged $0.69—about 32% higher—highlighting a decisive second‑half lift. The December peak is the period’s high-water mark, followed by a pronounced post‑holiday reset in January 2026. Day‑to‑day context aside, the profile suggests a year that built momentum into Q4 before resetting below early‑year levels.
Against the global benchmark, United States Entertainment CPCs remained below market every month. The category averaged $0.58 versus a $1.11 global median, roughly 47% lower overall. The gap narrowed meaningfully only once: in December, U.S. Entertainment CPCs were 13% below global levels ($0.92 vs. $1.05). At their widest, differentials stretched to about 63% below the benchmark (April, May, and January 2026).
Trendlines diverged as well. The global market moved from $1.12 in January 2025 to $0.85 by January 2026 (−25%), with moderate month‑to‑month changes averaging $0.07. By contrast, U.S. Entertainment rose from January to December (+38%), then reset sharply, producing an average monthly move of $0.15—more than double global volatility. H2 strengthened far more in the United States category (+32% vs. H1), while the global benchmark was nearly flat between halves (+1%).
For marketers comparing Facebook Ads benchmarks, these CPC trends illustrate how country‑specific ad costs in the Entertainment industry differ from the global market: cheaper overall, more seasonal lift into Q4, and greater volatility. Understanding CPC performance for the Entertainment industry in the United States—alongside CPM analysis and CTR performance reviews—helps situate industry ad performance relative to global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the Entertainment industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting United States, advertisers often face higher costs due to high competition and purchasing power. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
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Late November (Thanksgiving & Black Friday weekend), December (Christmas), Back-to-school (July–September), Summer travel season (Memorial Day onwards)
CPM and CPC might rise around major holidays like Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day, especially in travel and entertainment. Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend triggers massive spikes in retail ad competition. December ad demand typically peaks—retail campaigns require significantly higher budgets. Back-to-school promotions drive increased competition. Juneteenth may see regional engagement rise.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
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Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
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