• Bloomberg, Sunday, January 24, 2010 11:44 PM

Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman said advertising prices improved last quarter and the trend may help advanced sales for the next television season.

Dauman echoed other cable channel owners, who said commercials sold closer to air time are commanding higher prices than those sold before new shows started. Ad prices at NBC Universal's cable networks are now more than 30% higher than rates set ahead of the September TV season, Keith Sherin, CFO of NBC's parent General Electric Co. Viacom, which owns the MTV and Nickelodeon networks, will also benefit from higher fees as it renews distribution agreements with cable- and satellite-TV operators.

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