Watch Clips of the Networks' New Shows
Catch a Sneak Peek at Next Season With TVWeek's Video Player
Wondering whether Kelsey Grammar and Patricia Heaton's return to prime time on ABC is promising? Looking to see what NBC has done with 'Parenthood'? Want a taste of Fox's 'Family Guy' spinoff, 'Cleveland'? Ad Age sibling TVWeek has video clips of next season's new entries.
As Upfront Talks Stall With Broadcasters, Buyers Eye Cable
Agencies 'Looking for Soft Spot' to Get Lower Pricing on Ad Inventory
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- To jump-start a stalled TV upfront marketplace, media buyers say they are considering doing business first with cable outlets and syndicators, which they hope will be more amenable to rolling back prices for recession-scared clients. But buyers may not find what they are seeking.
TV Upfront Standoff: Networks Want Up to be the New Up
Buyers Willing to Ride It Out Until They Get Roll Backs
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- While other media put forth that "flat is the new up," the nation's broadcast TV networks still want to believe that "the new up" will be -- of all things -- up. And that's caused a standoff in the TV upfront market in the week after the broadcasters presented their schedules for next season.
Memo to Buyers: We'll Wait ... You'll Pay
Medium's Mass Reach Commands Share of Even Today's Shrunken Budgets
Dear advertisers, here's how we will once again get you to fork over a majority of your ad dollars to TV: We're going to be flexible this year.
Ad Age Picks the Best and Worst of the New Fall Lineup
Plus a Look Back at the Shows We Chose Last Year -- and How They Fared
Presenting Ad Age's annual wager on the new shows likely to succeed as well as those we hope not to see again next year.
Never Mind Online Video -- Networks Rally Around TV
With Market Expected to Be Down 15%, Focus Is on Most Lucrative Platform
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The rise of Hulu, DVRs and Facebook and slipping ratings across the board have forced the networks to do something we didn't expect at this year's upfronts: make the case that TV still dominates.
Freeloader Searches for Shrimp
At Upfront Week's TV Network Parties
NBC, ABC and even William Morris sat out the upfront party circuit this year, but even in a recession, Upfront Week still hosted soirees on par with years past. Freeloader hit them all up this year (even the exclusive CW bash -- shhh!) and is proud to report there was not one cocktail shrimp to be found. In honor of that dearly departed upfront canape, we rank this year's bashes based on a scale of 1 to 10 shrimp.
Navigating New York City During Upfront Week
A Map to the TV Networks' Presentations
Ad Age's MediaWorks has put together this map of where Fox, ABC, CBS, the CW, ESPN and Turner Broadcasting are holding their presentations to ad buyers, as well as where to catch NBC's Comedy Showcase. Click one of the place marks for information on each network's presentation.
Turner Pushes Hard for Upfront Dollars
Original Series Feature Big-Name Stars
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- While Fox and ABC spent a good chunk of their upfront presentations defending broadcast's leading role in the media mix, Turner's TNT and TBS made the case for cable at their upfront presentation to advertisers at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom today.
CBS Sticks With Steady Stable of Shows
Adds Three Dramas, One New Comedy and 'Medium' From NBC
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- CBS will add only three new dramas and one new comedy to its 2009-2010 lineup, while adding "Medium," a show it has produced for the past few seasons for rival NBC, to its Friday-night lineup. Meanwhile, the CW will pick up three new dramas.
ESPN Integrates Video Player on YouTube
Cable Sports Giant Adds Yet Another Outlet to Its Multiplatform Sell
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- ESPN will become the first media company to integrate its own video player on YouTube on July 15, as well as the first network to offer pre-roll advertising on the video site. The deal was just one of the multiplatform milestones the sports cable network announced at its upfront presentation to advertisers at New York's Nokia Theater on Tuesday.
ABC Remains Optimistic on Upfront Spending
Disney Network Has a Slate of New TV Shows Looking for Ad Support
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- ABC executives remain confident that advertisers will spend a goodly amount on network TV, despite the difficult economy. The Walt Disney Co. network is out this week with a raft of new programming for which it's hoping to find advertiser support.
37% of High-Level Marketers Plan to Spend More in Upfront
Advertiser Perceptions Survey: 'Leveling Off' of Pessimism
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Just in time for this year's TV upfront market, it looks as if there's some growing optimism among some high-level marketers.
25 Years for A&E, but Not Resting on Its Laurels
Road to the Upfront: A&E Networks
A&E Networks rang in its silver anniversary Thursday night with a party at New York's Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, where the company screened a brief film spanning AETN's 25-year evolution and previewing A&E, History and Bio's upcoming schedules. Clocking in around 12 minutes, the presentation may have set a record for shortest upfront presentation of the year. But the company that includes History Channel and A&E is moving forward with programming using reality king Mark Burnett and "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart.
Broadcast Upfront Could Be Down as Much as 20%
First Serious Decline Since 2001 Will Still Lead to at Least a $7B Take
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Early predictions for this year's TV-upfront market are grim. The betting on Wall Street is that the broadcast networks will see a 10% to 20% decline from the about $9.23 billion in commitments from marketers secured last year, which could mean the networks will be lucky to notch a take between $7.4 billion and $8.2 billion.
Upfront Not Working for You? Try Reversing It, Like Unilever
By Approaching Networks With Specific Marketing Goals, Marketer Gets Media Working for Its Brands
BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) -- For years, the TV-upfront market hasn't entirely worked for Unilever. But rather than exit like some, the company -- with the $499 million it spends on TV -- is looking to rewrite the rules and increasingly set the agenda with what it calls a "reverse upfront."
What's Wrong With How We Buy National TV
TV Execs From Both Sides of the Table Candidly Discuss What National TV Buying Should Be, and How to Get There
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- When the upfront finally moves this year, the seven executives who joined Ad Age for a roundtable discussion April 23 will each play a key role in the direction it takes.
NBC: Jay Leno Is Advertiser-Friendly, Willing to Do Live Commercials
At 'Infront' Event for Buyers, NBC Pushes Customized Ad Projects
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- NBC placed a new emphasis on scripted entertainment Monday as the General Electric broadcast network offered marketers and media buyers a peek at its lineup for the coming season, the first volley in what is likely to be an extended "upfront" sales season during a severe recession.
Here's a Word You Don't Hear Much in '09: Growth
Road to the Upfront: Univision
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Univision is hoping its message "Still growing!" will stand out in a U.S. ad market still mired in recession.
'What You're Watching' to Use Twitter, Facebook
Road to the Upfront: MTV Gets Social Networking
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With social networking at the forefront of its target demo's media habits for years now, it's a wonder MTV took so long to finally create the first live show to sync up with all the different platforms.
TV Marketplace Ready When Marketers Are
Whether Money's Spent in Upfront or Scatter, Networks Ready to Sell
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Advertiser budgets for next fall's TV season are coming in significantly off last year's totals, and could prompt some radical changes in how buyers and TV networks conduct the annual "upfront" sales process, when TV outlets typically sell 75% to 80% of their ad inventory for the season.
Yes, This Is Where You Can See 'Project Runway'
Road to the Upfront: Lifetime Networks
Now that Lifetime has finally won the rights to "Project Runway" after a yearlong lawsuit between NBC Universal and the Weinstein Co., fans will have to wait just a little bit longer to catch the already-completed sixth season. In the meantime, the female-focused network is rolling out a new slate of movies, comedies and cooking shows to move beyond its women-in-peril reputation.
Food Network and HGTV Bank on Trust
Road to the Upfront: Scripps Networks
Scripps is positioning its five-network portfolio under the tagline "Brands (for life)," based on the newfound value of trust. "Consumers have lost a lot more than equity in their home and money in their stock portfolio. They've lost of a critical amount of trust," said Steve Gigliotti, Scripps exec VP-ad sales. "We have trusted brands with quality, relevance, stability and trust."
NBC Universal Cablers Make Their Pitch to Women
Road to the Upfront: Bravo and Oxygen
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- How do you capitalize on two of the fastest-growing networks on cable? Combine them, of course. That's part of the strategy that's anchoring the ongoing ratings success story of Bravo and Oxygen, two of the anchor brands of Women@NBCU, a lifestyle-marketing group that also includes iVillage, "Today" and the company's "Green Is Universal" unit.
Buy Time on Four Cablers for Cost of One Broadcast Network
Road to the Upfront: Discovery Networks
It's no secret that broadcast networks are facing big challenges thanks to the one-two punch of a broad range of emerging digital-media venues and a sagging economy. If you're a company whose main thrust is cable, this is a good year to throw a few sharp elbows. And so the executives at Discovery Communications did, with President-Ad Sales Joe Abruzzese pointing out that a marketer could buy time on four of his networks during prime time for the same amount spent on a single broadcast network.
Cartoon Network Embraces Live-Action Shows
Road to the Upfront: Network Enters Phase 2 of Rebranding
Cartoon Network may have built its brand and business on animation, but in order to super-serve its target audience of boys 6 to 11, the network is investing in more live-action programming.
A Soothing, Predictable Network For Uncertain Times
Road to the Upfront: Hallmark Channel
Here's a candid pitch you don't hear very often from a TV network during upfront season: "predictability." That's Hallmark Channel's buzzword for advertisers and audiences alike as it continues its investment in family-friendly programming and original movies in 2009. "I think it's about offering predictability in an unpredictable world," Crown Media CEO Henry Schleiff said at the network's upfront presentation to press in New York. "After a long day at work, or a long day looking for work, people are looking for predictability in their lives."
Sci-Fi Channel to Rename Itself Syfy
NBC Universal Wanted 'Brand It Could Own'
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Sci-Fi Channel, the home of "Battlestar Galactica," "Eureka" and "Ghost Hunters," is offering advertisers more than new programming this year. It's offering up a whole new name.
Univision Opts Out of Upfront Presentation
Five-City Tour to Smaller Groups Planned Instead
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Univision Communications is scrapping its lavish annual TV upfront presentation this year. Instead, the biggest Spanish-language TV network will go on the road with senior Univision executives and talent to host smaller forums in five cities, kicking off in Chicago on April 1 and finishing up in New York on April 30.
In Tough Market, Nick Pitches Quality and Consistency
Road to the Upfront: Nickelodeon/MTV Networks Kids and Family
It's a testament to Nickelodeon's kids'-market dominance that Michael Eisner is lining up to pitch his former arch nemeses on a new series. The ex-Disney CEO appeared at the Nickelodeon upfront in New York's Hammerstein Ballroom to present "Glenn Martin, D.D.S.," a half-hour animated comedy his Tornante Animation is producing for Nick at Nite.
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