March 28, 2024

CW Network Completes Upfront Sales

CW has become the first of the large English-language broadcast networks to complete the bulk of its sales of commercial time ahead of the 2013-14 season in the so-called upfront market.

CW, which is owned by the CBS Corporation and Time Warner, sold about the same amount of commercial time in the 2013-14 upfront market, $400 million to $420 million, as it did last year in the 2012-13 upfront market. The total includes digital ad sales as well as television sales.

CW was also the first across the upfront finish line last year among its peer group, which is composed of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

The rates that CW is charging advertisers for the 2013-14 season — known as cpms, for the cost to reach each 1,000 viewers, a standard measurement in the television industry — are increasing by an estimated 5 percent to 6 percent. That compares with cpm increases last year that were somewhat higher, estimated at 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent.

Industry analysts had forecast that the broadcasters would obtain lower increases in cpms than they enjoyed last year because of ratings erosion and the bumpy economy.

CW is selling about 75 percent of its commercial inventory in the upfront market, holding the rest back to sell during the course of the 2013-14 season in what is called the scatter market. That is roughly the same percentage as the network sold ahead of time last year in the 2012-13 upfront market.

CW has five new series on tap for 2013-14, three of them to have their debuts in the fall and two in midseason.

Those new shows are intended to continue a shift that began during the last season or two as CW seeks to broaden the appeal of its programming beyond its core demographic target of women ages 18 to 34. A series introduced in 2012-13, “Arrow,” with an appeal to men, was a hit.

The 2013-14 upfront market began last week as ABC and Fox started making deals with advertisers and agencies. At the same time, CBS said its sales executives were “in active negotiations.”

Viacom, which owns cable channels like Comedy Central and MTV, also started writing upfront business last week.

The pace of the upfront market is largely dictated by economic conditions. Ratings are playing a larger part as broadcasters confront increased competition from cable channels and online video.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/business/media/cw-network-completes-upfront-sales.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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