Agency execs expect sports to push the upfront’s pace, pricing with up to double-digit spending increases

Sports has played a primary role in TV networks’ and more recently streaming services’ upfront shows for years. But this year it is expected by agency executives to dictate the upfront marketplace to a greater degree than previously. While many ad buyers expect the amount of money committed in this year’s upfront overall across traditional TV and streaming to be flat if not down compared to last year, the sports side of the upfront is another story. “Even budgets are down for some clients, they will probably be shifting a lot [of upfront ad dollars] from cable entertainment into live sports and streaming,” said one agency executive during Upfront Week in New York City. The sports market is expected to be between 8% and 12% up, said a second agency executive. But sports could be what props up streaming ad prices, albeit to a lesser degree, according to a third agency executive, who said networks will see the sports part of this marketplace hold or increase in CPMs for this year.

Source: Digiday.com  |  Read full article