• Adweek, Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:44 PM

After a month-long stalemate, the television upfront marketplace is starting to move. NBC Universal and GroupM are close to finalizing a major deal for broadcast and cable inventory for next season.

Under the deal currently being discussed, GroupM will pay an average CPM of minus 7%, compared to last year for its prime-time inventory, say insiders. For its cable deals, the buying conglomerate is said to be paying an average CPM between flat and minus-2%. It's not clear the amount of dollars in play. NBC took in an estimated $1.85 billion in the 2008/09 upfront.

None of other major broadcast networks-ABC, CBS and Fox-are said to be close to cutting deals. NBC was the fourth rated broadcast network for the 2008-09 season and most industry observers believed it would have to move first due to its weaker bargaining position.

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