The upfront market appears to be finishing up end, according AdAge, which said media buyers expect the marketplace to wrap up anytime between the end of this week and sometime next week. Deals for broadcast and cable involves lower CPM rates, down to the tune of low single to high single digits. At least one of the more significant media-buying firms is done with its upfront negotiations, said the story.
“While prime-time ad time is getting locked in at CPMs down 1% to 3% at most of the broadcast networks, NBC has made deals that call for price rollbacks in the mid-to-high-single-digit percentage range,” the story said. “Last week NBC and Fox were said to be further along than the other broadcast networks in finishing up sales. Fox has been trying to stay less negative than its rivals. CBS has been trying to maintain flat pricing but also has had to do negative dealing…”
ABC is holding out against deeper CPM rollbacks, according to executives who spoke with AdAge. One buyer said ABC is facing pressure to lower CPMs more than 2% to 3%, but another executive familiar with discussions said the network feels those discussions aren’t worth having, and the stabilizing economy and coming start of the fall TV season are on its side.
