Networks Write $9.23B in Upfront Biz, Up 1.2%
The five broadcast networks (including the CW) dodged a bullet and managed to pull in $9.23 billion in this year’s upfront, 1.2 percent higher than last year’s $9.12 billion.
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The five broadcast networks (including the CW) dodged a bullet and managed to pull in $9.23 billion in this year’s upfront, 1.2 percent higher than last year’s $9.12 billion.
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CBS will nail down about $2.5 billion in upfront business, according to a source, up slightly from the $2.45 billion it secured in last season’s upfront.
Despite recent forecasts that the upfront would be slow, with little to no growth, nearly 85 percent of all broadcast network prime time upfront deals have been completed, and the total seems to be slightly higher than last year.
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Advertisers showThe upfront market is healthier than expected, according to media buyers. Advertiser budgets have come in higher than many expected them to be; they have been particularly strong from pharmaceutical companies, movie studios, and even the auto industry.
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Each night on MyNetworkTV this fall is branded with a different format - entertainment on Monday, reality crime on Tuesday, comedy on Wednesday, action movies Thursday, WWE Smackdown on Friday and family movies on Saturday.
Joshua JacksonFox has been able to pull price premiums of 35 percent to 40 percent for ads in its two upcoming dramas, Fringe (in the fall) and The Dollhouse (at midseason), thanks to its new Remote-Free TV plan.
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Sources say that GroupM has made an upfront buy with NBC for an average CPM increase of 5 percent over last season; the agency group also signed deals with ABC-affiliated Lifetime, A&E and ABC Family.
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Turner is creating an ad network by packaging display and video ad inventory from 19 different websites, including CNN.com, CartoonNetwork.com, TNT.com, TBS.com, AdultSwim.com and GameTap.com.
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Returns at midseason ABC has cut deals with Starcom and Zenith Media at an average of 8 to 10 percent CPM increases for prime time inventory, say sources familiar with the situation.
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Scatter is still up by double-digit increases, and the upfront will be up as well, says CBS CEO Les Moonves, who adds that he is “guardedly optimistic” about the market.
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The upfront will see spending on the broadcast networks dip 3 percent, with spending on cable networks up 5 percent, according to a report by Lehman Bros.
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The Audit Bureau of Circulations has begun requiring that public-place-sponsored copies of magazines be reclassified as such, giving print media buyers more transparency into where and how a magazine is distributed.
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Cox Radio and Inner City Broadcasting are waging war against the commercial rollout of Arbitron’s PPM, saying in industry print ads that the lack of MRC accreditation should have grounded the PPM rollout until the new system passes inspection.
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Hallmark inked its first upfront deal of the season, with Starcom. The deal was made on behalf of many of Starcom’s clients, and includes media on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Network.
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The upcoming fall season will see just 16 new shows, compared to 29 last year - but buyers say they like what they saw during last week’s upfront presentations, and believe the broadcast nets will have plenty of new shows at midseason. Still, deals may be slow in coming.
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Clear Channel is in the process of developing a feature that will allow listeners to create their own customized radio tuners on their streaming music players. The new feature, which lets listeners add their own preferences for artists, genres or songs, is expected to launch in June.
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Spot Runner, successful newcomer to the TV ad sales and development biz, has closed a $51 million round of funding and is looking to begin an international expansion.
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Product placements for the first quarter of 2008 rose 6% on primetime programming for the 11 measured networks on broadcast (ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, MNT, NBC) and cable television (A&E, Bravo, HGTV, MTV, TLC), according to Nielsen, writes MarketingCharts.
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TV Guide Network promised - and apparently delivered - higher ratings to NBC if the network advertised within the pages of the TV Guide magazine and on the TV Guide Network.
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Google’s program to put regular 30-second commercials on TV using its AdWords program has been opened up to all advertisers after nearly a year in beta.
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