Starcom/Turner Entertainment Sign $150 Million Upfront Deal

Turner Entertainment completed its upfront business late last week with Starcom to the tune of about $150 million, making that the second big upfront deal for cable - MTV Networks signed a deal for reportedly about $300 million with OMD - while upfront activity with the broadcast nets remains sluggish, according to Mediaweek. Yes, Fox did some business with movie studies at CPM lifts as high as 4 percent, but the article points out that studios traditionally pay higher rates than other advertisers in exchange for selective positioning. CW cut some deals at pricing similar to those cut by the WB last upfront, and NBC did business at significant CPM cuts. Overall, the broadcast upfront - which has also been defined by plenty of misinformation and rumors - has not picked up much steam.