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CBS Wrapping Upfront Sales With Commitments Nearly Flat

Jun 13, 2012  •  Post A Comment

CBS has mostly finished its upfront sales, with advertising commitments for the 2012-13 television season that are almost flat with the $2.5 billion to $2.75 billion it recorded in last year’s upfront, reports Brian Steinberg in Advertising Age.

The network recorded CPM increases in the 8% to 9% range, with CBS selling slightly less inventory than it did last year, when it sold 80% of the season’s inventory in the upfront market, the story says.

"The network’s decision to hold a small amount back — a move that echoes CW’s upfront strategy — suggests that the upfront market is not as robust as hoped and that TV networks will hold more time in reserve than last year to sell as ‘scatter,’ or ad time purchased more close to air date," Steinberg writes.

"Scatter advertising is typically sold at a premium, unless the economy weakens as the TV season launches and continues to be lackluster when the holiday season looms," the story adds.

Another sign of a less robust market than had been expected was CBS’s CPM increases, which were lower than the 13% to 15% increases it recorded last year, the story notes.

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