NCM Media Networks Holds First Upfront

MoviesOn the heels of big digital players such as Google's YouTube, Yahoo and Facebook starting up TV-like upfront advertising events, in-theater advertising company NCM Media Networks will officially become part of the upfront for the first time this year.

NCM will premiere its upfront presentation event at New York City’s AMC Loews Lincoln Square movie theater on May 16, 2012. NCM is co-owned by AMC Entertainment, Cinemark Holdings, Regal Entertainment Group, and other regional theater companies.

Cliff Marks, president of sales and marketing with NCM Media Network, stated: "This will allow advertisers to get a first look at the upcoming feature film slate and have special access to premium inventory and our unique integrated cinema programs.”

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The NCM network covers 18,300 theater screens, and the company says NCM ranks high among the broadcast and cable TV networks as one of the top three networks in America reaching adults 18-34 in prime-time on Fridays and Saturdays, according to The Nielsen Company.

Over the last several years, a number of cable networks, which had upfront selling events in April and earlier, moved into the same week as the broadcast networks. That gave bigger cablers, including ESPN, Turner Broadcasting and USA Network, more visibility and perception among TV media buyers and marketing executives.

Around $20 billion in media dollars is spent during the TV upfront deal-making process, typically done around June and July. Broadcast and cable networks, U.S. syndication companies, and Spanish-language broadcast TV networks customarily participate.

Digital media companies have said they will offer a week-long number of events in April before the big group of broadcast network upfront presentation starting the week of May 13.

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