• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 21, 2006

Fox is close to wrapping up its upfront business--and appears likely to boost volume by as much as 13 percent over last year, according to sources.

Fox still has a couple of pieces of business to complete, but could garner some $1.8 billion in commitments--up from $1.6 billion last year. The increase comes on the backs of a strong season at the network, where 18-to-49 ratings in regularly scheduled programming--the core of what's sold in the upfront--rose 13 percent and dramas "House" and "24" became bona-fide hits, joining "American Idol;" the network is also the clear leader in the coveted 18-to-34 demo.

Fox has been able to command CPM increases in the 2-4 percent range, the sources said. News Corp. President-COO Peter Chernin said last week the network made boosting volume a priority over CPM jumps.

A Fox representative declined comment.