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Broadband Video Inventory Shrinking, Upfronts Multiplying

Online video players are beginning to reach out to media buyers and advertisers by creating upfront marketplaces of their own. ROO - following Klipmart’s upfront initiative launched last month and Heavy.com’s upfront that began in March - announced yesterday its plans to conduct its own upfront, offering advertisers the chance to buy spot time across its network of 130 affiliates, Mediapost reports.

Confidence toward an upfront on the part of video providers stems from the fact that leading portals and web destinations are short on inventory, according to the article. Planning broadband video in the same way - and at the same time - as TV makes sense, said Rick Kleczkowski, Klipmart’s senior vp of business development last month.

But companies new to the upfront game should make sure they’re thinking more about continued innovation and less about quick riches, Sean Black, senior vp and managing group director at MediaCom’s Beyond Entertainment said. “The dot-com sales forces are out there trying to take advantage of the inventory shortage, but it won’t last unless the value increases.”