Big-brand advertisers and an industry trade group are calling on the television networks to delay their annual upfront ad marketplace to later in the year—a big shift in the way TV programmers and advertisers have done business for decades. Both are critical to advertisers: they say there is a lack of visibility into what they would be buying. Normally, TV networks pitch their new programming at glitzy New York City events in the spring and negotiate ad deals for the fall season soon after. Plenty of advertisers already do upfront deals on a calendar-year basis, according to people familiar with the matter. The trade group said there is still value in negotiating ad deals upfront—they would just prefer to shift the timeframe.

Source: Wall Street Journal June 10, 2020 23:26 UTC