Buyers Expect Staggered Upfronts Marketplace as TV Ad Forecast Remains Murky

'We don't know when the world will be back,' explains one marketer

For the past month and a half, the TV industry has been grappling with the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, which has halted Hollywood production, canceled almost all live sports and will cause an estimated $10 billion ad revenue loss in the first half of 2020.

While buyers and advertisers continue to navigate their necessary short-term coronavirus-related moves—adjusting ad spend and messaging—they are not ready to think long term yet. With so many unanswered questions about the economic impact of the crisis on their respective businesses, this year’s upfront marketplace will not take place during its usual early summer timetable.

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