NBC has completed its upfront ad sales process, resulting in the top-rated broadcast network’s revenue rising one percent year over year.
Sticking with the broadcast network side, a person close to the negotiations told TheWrap that NBC secured a 5 percent increase in its CPM — the rate of reaching 1,000 people — pricing, which is slowed from the prior few years, but strong for 2015’s climate. With ABC still ready to report, NBC is atop the pack in terms of growth percentage year over year.
Across the full NBCUniversal portfolio — including cable — the parent company pulled in nearly $6 billion in total revenue commitments, which is up two percent from the prior year. Particularly strong industries included automotive, entertainment, tech and pharmaceutical.
On the cable side of that portfolio, Bravo, E! and USA led the market in rate of change, the person added.
“NBCUniversal has completed its Upfront, securing almost $6 billion in revenue commitments – up 2 percent from last year – for its entire portfolio,” a company spokesperson told TheWrap. “The market responded favorably to the innovative ways we are reaching and targeting our audiences.
The spokesperson continued: “Additionally, we saw our digital video business grow 50 percent in this upfront, which we believe reflects the growing importance of multiplatform partnerships driven by premium video content.”