Final Cable Upfront Tally Down 12%

NEW YORK In what proved to be the softest summer market since 2001, cable saw its 2009-10 upfront take diminish by 12 percent, as the networks wrote $6.73 billion in business.

While the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau has yet to issue a definitive tally, network and media agency sources concur with the estimate, which was derived from a base sum of $7.65 billion in the 2008-09 bazaar.

Contributing to the $920 million shortfall were a mix of battered client budgets, mid-single-digit CPM rollbacks and a desire on the part of ad sales executives to hold back inventory for scatter — a strategy that has paid off thus far in the fourth quarter, as avails fetch high-single-digit premiums over upfront pricing.

This year’s protracted negotiations made it impossible for the CAB to arrive at a sum before the start of Q4, although now that the last of the third-tier stragglers have crossed the finish line,...

AW+

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Spring Special

Save 30% Off an ADWEEK Subscription Today!

View Your Options

Already a member? Sign in