• GlobeandMail.com , Friday, January 18, 2008 11:15 AM

As the writers' strike nears the three-month mark, advertisers are facing tough choices about where to put their billions of dollars of prime-time advertising. As the drought of new shows hits home, they have to choose between reruns and untested fare on the nets -- or perhaps look for new ways to reach their targets. Among the options are sports programming, reality shows such as "American Idol," and specialty cable.

"A lot is riding on this," says Anne Elliot, vice-president at Nielsen Co. "People have a lot at stake ... I don't doubt advertisers are looking at other options." Evidence of the shift can be seen with the Super Bowl, where demand is so high that Fox is getting as much as $3 million for one 30-second spot, a new record.

"Sports is favorably positioned to pick up those viewers, and the dollars that go with those eyeballs," notes David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

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