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Merrill Lynch Bullish on Upfront Projections

Despite talk of a flat upfront, Merrill Lynch forecasts a four percent revenue increase to $8.47 billion for the Big Four networks, standing firm on its mid-May projections, MediaPost reports.

CBS is expected to do $2.63 billion in business - the most of any network - according to the report. ABC is projected to follow at $2.23 billion, followed by NBC at $1.84 billion and Fox at $1.78 billion. Fox’s projected take would represent a 12 percent gain compared to last year, with ABC posting a seven percent jump. CBS’ expected performance would mark a one percent increase, while NBC’s would be a three percent decline.

Merrill Lynch’s projections regarding CPMs call for Fox and ABC to derive 4 percent increases, followed by CBS at 3 percent, with NBC flat. That’s in-line with the first upfront deals closed earlier this week that had Fox and CBS completing deals at between two and four percent CPM.