Advertising Age‘s Andrew Hampp examines the upcoming primetime shift for CNN, and the effect it could have on the channel’s advertising revenue. Starring in August, CNN will shift Anderson Cooper to 8 PM. In September, when Erin Burnett’s show debuts, the other shifts will take place.
“That’s a lot of change to make in one fell swoop,” said Jason Maltby, director-national broadcast TV at WPP’s Mindshare. “But no one would argue change wasn’t warranted. You’d rather see all live programming from 8 to 11 at least, but from a buyer’s perspective you want whatever’s going to deliver the most eyeballs.”
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Advertisement“Prime-time is still very important to us,” Mr. Walton said. “It’s something advertisers cherish, something that’s talked about by those people who cover us on how we’re performing in prime time, and we want to continue to be competitive.”
Luckily for CNN, its ad-sales team has been able to effectively monetize the upcoming 2012 election, though higher ratings would lead to higher revenues.
CNN is betting on the next presidential cycle to keep CNN top-of-mind among some marketers. Greg D’Alba, CNN’s chief operating officer of ad sales, said CNN was able to finish its upfront deals before the general market wrapped this year due to high demand for its election content over the next four quarters. Top categories include automotive, energy, insurance and technology marketers. Still, Mr. D’Alba recognizes the importance of prime time to the marketplace.
“Even though it’s 10% [of our revenues], I want that number to be higher,” he said.