Damn straight it's worth it. I'd fly that flag anywhere I could.
Also banners are cheaper then gallery spots also because the banners are most likely rotating (on the hun I wouldn't be surprised if only 1 every 15-20 visitors saw your banner) while the galleries are always there. But hey, why not put the banners on the galleries

I recon the reason the surfers are on that TGP are those galleries, not them banners.