Broadcast Network Upfront to End Down 22 Percent

Broadcast network television upfront buying for the 2009-10 season is expected to wrap up this week with the five major broadcast networks taking in about $7.2 billion in prime time ad revenue, down 22 percent over last year’s $9.25 billion.

While the troubled economy played a role in the decline of upfront revenue, with some advertiser budgets lower than last year, and negotiated pricing for ad units down -1 to -7 percent compared to last year, the biggest reason for the disparity was that the networks decided to hold back significantly more ad inventory, hoping to sell it during the season in hopes that the economy gets healthier.

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