• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 27, 2007

GroupM continues as an early mover in the upfront. The WPP entity completed an upfront deal with Lifetime as the cable marketplace picks up steam. The deal helped move Lifetime forward; pushing its negotiations past the halfway mark.

Earlier, GroupM struck a deal involving NBC, which came early in the broadcast market.

The Lifetime deal was done with the so-called C3 currency that covers commercial ratings and three days of DVR viewing. Despite some ratings bumps at Lifetime, CPM increases were believed to be in the high single-digits, a possible signal that the cable market could be stronger than predicted.

Lifetime, however, was willing to use the C3 currency, since it has a high viewer-retention rate during commercials. Other cable networks, with significant falloff, may fight against the new standard, which potentially could cause some buyers to hold back dollars.

Lifetime executives also said they expect to finish with a higher volume than a year ago. "We were happy with how strong the market is," said John Matluck, senior vice president-ad sales at Lifetime. He added that categories such as packaged-goods and retail are healthy.

Lifetime executives said the network's summer success "Army Wives" may have convinced some buyers to take a chance after a tough year. "I think it really put us in the forefront of buyers' awareness," said Rick Basso, senior vice president, pricing and planning.