confirmed that it has largely wrapped its “upfront” ad sales, the latest broadcast outlet to acknowledge it had completed negotiations in what buyers have characterized as a tepid market.
Ad buyers estimate the Walt Disney network may see its volume of advance ad commitments fall by as much as 5% to 10% in this annual market for commercial inventory sold for the coming programming season.
In 2013, ABC secured between $2 billion and $2.2 billion, according to
Variety
estimates, which means the broadcaster of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” may have secured between $1.8 billion and $2.1 billion. An ABC spokeswoman declined to comment.
Like many other broadcast networks this year, ABC was able to secure deals by offering a lesser rate of increase in the cost of a CPM, a measure that looks at the price of reaching 1,000 viewers which is instrumental in these annual talks. Last year, ABC held out for as much as 7%; in 2014, the network did deals with CPM increases ranging from 4% to 5%, according to ad buyers and a person familiar with the situation.
, the network is likely to place emphasis on the so-called “scatter” market, when advertisers buy commercials closer to their air date, and can often face paying a premium if demand is high. Other broadcast and cable outlets are taking a similar outlook, according to executives on both sides of the haggle.
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that it is largely done with its upfront process, while Fox, NBC, the CW and cable outlets continue to negotiate with clients.
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