Idol, Agony and Zach Braff: Inside The Annual Cash Grab

Early trends signal a cooling ad market after the $9 billion spend in 2016, as networks make their biggest-ever play for series ownership and buyers appear more concerned with buzz than ratings.

- Michael O' Connell And Lesley Goldberg

Like a phoenix with a short attention span, the broadcast television lineup has again self-immolated — only to re-emerge from its smoldering remains in front of Madison Avenue media buyers for the annual upfront bazaar. Beginning May 15, execs from the Big Four take Manhattan to tout new projects, returning series and refined schedules, ignoring the past year’s missteps amid near-universal linear ratings declines and an upfront sales market that buyers say is shaping up to be less bullish than the estimated $9 billion plus spend from 2016. Behind the scenes, the newest orders reflect an escalating push for vertical integration. On stages, the message is uniform: TV is still the safest buy (advertisers won’t find their spots next to anti-Semitic videos, unlike on YouTube). Forget gains, these upfronts are all about avoiding any steep commitment declines. Notes Horizon Media’s David Campanelli, “No one but [CBS Corp. chairman and CEO] Leslie Moonves is saying that this is an incredibly strong market.”

ABC