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Road to the Upfront 2008
Strong Upfront Sales for Cable, Syndie
June 19, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- It looks like 2008 will not go down as the year marketers relied less on TV after all. After the broadcast upfront wrapped last week with a surprisingly strong $9.2 billion haul, the cable and syndication upfront markets -- both expected to be about 80% wrapped this week and completely finished by July 4 -- have posted even more significant increases.
Cable Upfront Market Halfway Done With Sales
June 13, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- With the envelope effectively sealed on this year's broadcast upfront, which wrapped early this week with a higher-than-expected final take of $9.2 billion, now it's off to the races for cable. The cable upfront, projected by several major analysts and media buyers to increase as much as 10% to 15% this year over 2007's take of $7.68 billion, will head into the weekend about 40% to 50% wrapped, according to several key media buyers and network executives.
Broadcast Networks Sell More to Get More
June 09, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Advertisers have committed approximately $9.2 billion to primetime broadcast TV for the 2008-2009 TV season, but they did so out of concern they'd have to pay steeper ad prices come the fall, at a time when the economic outlook is blurry. They also did it because a few of the broadcast networks were eager to sell more time now to drive some of their take.
CBS set to rake in $2.5B prime-time upfront
June 09, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- CBS expects to secure about $2.5 billion in ad commitments for its prime-time entertainment schedule, according to a person familiar with the situation, officially ending this year's approximately $9.2 billion upfront prime-time broadcast market.
ABC, Fox Finish With Upfront Sales
June 09, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Walt Disney's ABC expects to secure around $2.5 billion in ad commitments for the 2008-2009 prime-time season, according to the network's top ad-sales executive. Meanwhile, News Corp.'s Fox has also completed sales, notching what a person familiar with the situation said was volume "significantly above" last year's $1.9 billion total.
NBC Expects to Wrap Upfront Sales at $1.9 Billion
June 05, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- NBC has largely completed its upfront sales and has secured $1.9 billion in commitments, according to an executive familiar with the situation. Separately, the network has sold two spots in the Super Bowl for $3 million each, with ad time in the big game about 30% sold, this executive said.
Group M, NBC Finalizing Upfront Deal
June 04, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- General Electric's NBC network and WPP Group's Group M have largely completed their upfront negotiations, according to people familiar with the situation, with the Peacock network securing price increases in the mid- to high-single-digit percentage range.
Buyers: 'Healthier' Upfront Market 20%-50% Complete
June 03, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The upfront market is in full swing, and buyers suggest the market is anywhere from 20% to 50% complete, with marketers focusing the bulk of dollars at top-performing networks.
Marketers Paying Moderate Price Increases to Networks
June 02, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- The upfront marketplace may be a tight one, but that isn't stopping networks from eking out moderate price increases for ad time on their air, according to media buyers.
Madison Square Garden Media Grabs for Upfront Money
May 30, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Madison Square Garden Media held a presentation for advertisers this week to tout its sponsorship opportunities across its many platforms, which include popular music and sports venues (New York's Madison Square Garden, WaMu Theater at MSG, Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre and the recently acquired Chicago Theatre), sports teams (New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Liberty and Hartford Wolf Pack), cable networks (MSG, MSG Plus and Fuse) and accompanying websites (including the revamped MSG.com).
New TV Shows: Watch the Video Previews
May 16, 2008
LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- Get a sneak peek at next season's TV shows with TVWeek.com's pilot preview video player. ABC, CBS, Fox and the CW are providing early looks at "Fringe," "Dollhouse," "Surviving the Filthy Rich," "The Goode Family" and "The Worst Week."
How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?
May 12, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Ad Age's MediaWorks has put together this map of where the various networks are holding their presentations. Click one of the placemarks on the map to find out when each event starts, where you need to be, the best subway route to get there, and whether you'll be getting breakfast, lunch or a cocktail.
Networks Opt for Heavy Dose of Unreality
May 16, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS (AdAge.com) -- Creators and critics, buyers and sellers, and plenty of movers and shakers gathered in one of the world's coastal cultural capitals this week to unveil and schedule video artistry. Sure, that could describe the network upfront presentations, but it also applies to the concurrent conclave in Cannes, now hosting its 61st annual film festival.
Forget Multiplatform, Fox Bets on TV Shows
May 15, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- At a time when marketers are increasingly curious about media venues other than broadcast TV, executives from Fox network said they intended to keep their focus on the traditional living-room screen, while launching new programs for the 2008-09 season in staggered fashion.
CBS Shows Rather Than Tells How to Buy
May 15, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Before presenting its 2008-09 programming lineup at its upfront presentation yesterday, CBS spent about 45 minutes talking about opportunities in outdoor advertising, syndication, radio and online. CBS was thus able to do something the other networks have so far not: demonstrate how broadcast-TV content makes an appealing option when extended into media venues that are decidedly ancillary to traditional TV.
This Year, Univision Wants Those English-Language Dollars
May 15, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Univision Communications took direct aim at English-language networks, telling the audience at yesterday's upfront presentation that 60% of Univision's audience are unduplicated viewers who watch only the Spanish-language network, that viewership of the English-language networks is down by 13% while Univision's is up 23%, and that the average viewer of Spanish-language news is 40 years old compared to 61 for the other networks.
Nickelodeon and Group M Close to Upfront Deal
May 14, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Nickelodeon's Kids and Family Group is close to wrapping one of the first major upfront deals of this year with Group M, according to two executives familiar with the negotiations. The deal is said to be valued in excess of $300 million.
Turner Offers to Place Ads Next to Relevant Content
May 14, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- TNT and TBS are out to prove they could play with the big boys of broadcast. The Turner Broadcasting properties were the first entertainment cable networks to vie for media buyers' ad dollars during the week traditionally dominated by the five national broadcast networks.
CW Fills Schedule With the Rich and Pretty
May 14, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- CW's goal for Year Two: target young women. The UPN/WB hybrid had a rough go of broadly reaching the youth demo last year, but the buzzworthy (if not ratings) success of "Gossip Girl" has the network chasing after the female segment in a bigger way this year. What's in store for next season? Lots and lots of pretty young things playing at being rich.
CBS Builds Another Comedy Night on Wednesdays
May 14, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- CBS Corp. is placing a bet on an out-of-favor format: the sitcom. The company's flagship network, known for having one of the most durable stable of programs on broadcast TV and a solid Monday comedy schedule, said it would attempt to launch another night anchored by comedy for the 2008-09 TV season.
