Handicapping the Cable Upfront

A roundup of the winners and losers

Cable networks have griped for years that it’s past time they achieved parity in ad rates with broadcasters—and at some conglomerates (namely, NBCU), cable outshines broadcast. But despite cable’s sturm und drang about showing the big boys who’s boss, it all hinges on CBS’ CPM gains, says Pivotal analyst Brian Wieser, formerly lead forecaster for Interpublic. “The negotiation for the cable players is relative to that number,” he explains. “If you believe you deserve a premium, it’s a premium to that number.”

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