• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 8, 2016

Heading into 2016-17 upfront TV negotiations, demand for national TV advertising fell slightly in May vs. April, according to the most recent data from the Real Cost Index, a collaboration of MediaPost and SQAD. The national TV index declined four points to a 146 in May from a 150 in April.

However, on a year-over-year basis, national TV ad demand appears to be growing from last year. May 2016’s index rose 23 points from a 123 in May 2015 and is the highest May to date since May 2014, when the index as 160.

National broadcast ebbed the most, with its index declining three points to a 1845 in May vs. April, while national cable networks rose five points to a 153 in May.