Direct-response advertisers are buying more time on television stations, meaning few opportunities for syndicators, Broadcasting & Cable reports. “I think it can mean a difficult path for weekly [shows] and even some strips to get cleared,” Bill Carroll, VP of programming at Katz Media, tells the publication. According to TNS Media Intelligence, sales from direct-response advertisements have jumped to $1.79 billion between September 2008 to January from $1.64 billion in the year-earlier time period, the trade paper says.
—Aimee Picchi