Talk show host is considering runs for Senate, White House.
Ad Buyers to TV Execs: We Have The Upper Hand
Two months after the upfront presentations, no advertising deals have been made.
Keywords
Slideshow
Since Arsenio Hall's groundbreaking show went off the air in the late 1990s, others have tried to diversify the late-night airwaves, with mixed results. Three new shows are tackling the issue again. Read more.
“They weren’t going to give away double-digit decreases.”
Further complicating negotiations has been NBC’s decision to put the “Jay Leno Show” at 10 o’clock each weeknight.
“It really is a game-changing decision,” said Feuer, noting that not only are media buyers unsure as to how much to pay for such an unscripted show being programmed at 10 p.m., they’re also not certain as to what will happen if NBC’s experiment works.
“That could convince the other networks to plop in cheaper unscripted shows at 10, too,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the ever-growing complexity of modern, multi-platform media sales means that dealmaking simply takes more time to do these days.
NBC Universal, for example, is not only selling ratings points for the flagship NBC network, but also cable networks ranging from USA to Bravo to MSNBC to SyFy.
Also, the rapid emergence of brand integration into shows, which must be accounted for in a much different way than the traditional 30-second spot, has also complicated matters.
Despite the protracted standoff, the general feeling among network ad sellers and agency buyers is that the market should finally break in the next week or so, with the networks resigned to the fact that their CPMs won’t increase in value this year, or even stay flat, and buyers accepting that double-digit increases are probably not going to happen, either.
Most upfront watchers peg the decreases to be in the 2%-3% range, on average.
“This week we’re having more substantive conversations,” said one buyer. “We hope to get more serious about offers and counteroffers later this week and into next.”
Comments
denne Says
@Unindicted Co-Conspirator, just be thankful it's only 2 pages and not 10 like forbes.com (and many others), which yes, I also refuse to read. sites need to watch that line very closely when splitting pages up for impressions...
P.S. while we're on site design, the Wrap captcha is annoying and discourages me from commenting.
adwatcher Says
Daniel Frankel and Feuer:
All I know is that your sub hed says that 2 months after the upfront presentations, no deals have been made, which is out and out false. The ad trades have been reporting on product placement deals and some small cable deals for the last two weeks.
As for "nuance," I don't mean to say that you have to write with such detail that the story bores your audience, but to say that nothing in the upfront is black and white. Jack, with all your experience, you ought to know that. There are deals being done, there are conversations being had, and some ground has been ceded over price. Thats detail your audience might like to have.
And Im sorry: John Rash may be a great guy, and very knowledgeable. But oftentimes the most widely quoted people are those with the least to lose. Had you quoted someone from one of the bigger firms, I think your piece would have more authority
Daniel Frankel Says
Adwatcher:
Although they requested that their names not be put in this story, we also had several other media buyers from bigname agencies with Madison Avenue addresses quoted in this story. And yes, John Rash is based in the Midwest, but I'm not sure there's a more asstute commentator on programming and broadcast negotiations. And as for Mr. Feuer, he still does a great job of writing about the advertising business for Mediapost. As for the missing "nuance" of the story, it is targeted to a general entertainment business audience. My first priority is to make the language and concepts understandable to that audience, which may or may not read "Ad Age."
Feuer Says
Dear Adwatcher;
What are you, an actor or something? A derivatives trader? I doubt anybody in the business would refer to it as a "sector" (which is an inaccurate description anyway).
John Rash is one of the most widely quoted and respected thinkers on media buying in America.
And I am....well, Google me, dipstick. I've been called many things--I bet you're thinking some of them right now--but inactive ain't one of 'em.
Speaking of which, people also have called the upfront many things but never "nuanced." Not with a straight face, anyway.
I'd love to hear what "nuance" you missed from the story. Perhaps a Michael Jackson reference?
adwatcher Says
Your sourcing on this is third-rate: A former trade journalist no longer actively covering the sector and an executive at a small midwest ad agency that doesn't specialize in media buying and doesn't have the bulk power to drive deals?
The facts are these: Yes, the market is largely stalled. But NBC has been doing business and there are plenty of conversations going on between both sides. You need more nuance to give an accurate portrayal of what's going on
Sharon Waxman Says
dear unindicted - there is no requirement at thewrap to read page two. but we do think it's worth the journey. please stick with us, s.
Unindicted Co-Conspirator Says
Will you get rid of this idiotic & asinine two page format?
Totally ridiculous & really annoying.
I absolutely refuse to go to any ABC.com or Reuters.com story because of that!
NEW COMMENT