The cable network upfront has almost wrapped up, with top networks seeing "modestly strong pricing" compared with a year earlier, reports MediaDailyNews.

Cable networks saw a jump in ad spending to $7.7 billion, representing an 18 percent increase over last year’s spending. Ad-rate increases ranged from 5 percent to 9 percent, depending on the package and network, the report states.

Similar to the broadcasters, cable networks were able to get higher rates despite an erosion in viewers in the 18-to-49 year-old demographic, the article points out.

"This cable viewership erosion gave some networks the chance to play the same negotiation card that the broadcaster have used for many years: That is the ‘scarcity’ issue. Lower ratings of some valuable inventory in some individual shows gave cable networks the ability to charge just over double-digit CPMs in selective cases," the article states.