Viacom, the owner of cable networks including MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, has completed between 50% and 75% of its upfront advertising sales after seeing a surge in activity, reports Brian Steinberg in Advertising Age.

Viacom has sacrificed some pricing to drive volume from longtime sponsors, Steinberg notes. "Viacom’s goal has been to take a bigger share in the market while Time Warner’s Turner and Comcast’s NBCUniversal try to secure price increases," he writes.

Advertisers securing deals with Viacom include General Motors and Unilever, with the former noteworthy as GM has been haggling with broadcast networks about pricing, as we reported separately.

"Viacom may have reason to be flexible on pricing. Nickelodeon, along with other kiddie-focused outlets, has suffered from ratings issues," Steinberg points out.