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A variety of factors - including last year’s makegoods spilling over into this season, the writers strike, and live program ratings that are down about 10 percent - have contributed to scarce inventory in the fourth quarter and a feeling of anxiety among buyers.
Some of those buyers are jumping ahead and securing inventory for the second quarter of 2008, writes MediaPost. With two months still to go in the fourth quarter, buyers would typically be looking at first quarter scatter buys about now. But with inventory already tight, and with the writers strike and the uncertainty of political advertising raising questions about how much inventory may be available in coming months, anxiety is high.
Some networks are already charging 50 percent or more over the prices of upfront deals that were made in June for some programs. In less-stressed times, advertisers would worry about paying even slightly higher CPMs, but in the current marketplace, this is less of a problem, according to one media executive.
“It’s no longer [a concern] about spending 5% more,” says the executive. “The worst thing you can do now is not getting on the air.”
Radio stations in the U.K. reacted with outrage when they learned of a report by researchers from the University of the West of England which accused them of promoting excessive drinking.
The study looked at 1,200 hours of radio output,…
General Motors posted sales of 308,817 vehicles in August. That’s a drop of 20 percent from August of last year - but 31 percent better than July.
In order to boost sales as much as possible during a time when…
A new digital out-of-home network to reach golfers is launching to 100 retail locations in the next two months. The network will be available in Dunham’s Sporting Goods, Golf Etc., Golf USA, Pro Golf, and ParMasters, among others.
Fox says that viewers’ attention to commercials is higher when fewer commercials are aired. The revelation comes as a result of testing the network has done for its freshman thriller, Fringe, which will premiere Sept. 9 with limited commercials and shorter…
Worldwide sales of mobile phones will reach 1.28 billion units in 2008 - up from 1.15 billion units in 2007 - an 11 percent increase from last year, according to Gartner, Inc - (via MarketingCharts).
While the mobile phone market is poised for…
Consumers in all income segments are cutting back spending, and doing so to a greater extent recently than at the beginning of the second quarter, according to a comScore study examining changes in consumer attitudes and perceptions about the U.S. economy…
