• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, Today

What happens when linear TV ad sales become near full-scale programmatic -- and move deeper into agentic AI media planning and buying?

There would be fewer sales personnel for TV stations, networks, and streamers, for sure.

This process has been going on for some time. Over the last ten years, the number of advertising sales positions has plummeted.

And yet marketplaces like the upfront keep going. Top-of-the-funnel value remains at linear TV -- especially for live events -- with sports programming in particular, but also big live events such as "The Oscars" and other award shows.

Consider the idea that in the future an agentic AI agent can offer up micro-parameters that can survey content for new guideposts.

Perhaps the first position in the last two-minute pod of the Super Bowl is best -- but only if it is a close game -- for example, within three points.

Perhaps agents can sense that a viewer has only tuned in to half of the advertising message -- but will offer up the other half at another time.

And even if live TV seems to now be a desirable programming genre for a brand, perhaps an AI agent could detect whether a specific live program -- for example, a live golf event -- is not driving the expected sales.

It could then shift messaging or some of its remaining parts of its budget to a different program -- maybe scripted, or unscripted or onto a CTV platform.

Some analysts might call this "dynamic re-allocation."

Taking this further, imagine the standard commercial break going away. Digital media -- especially YouTube -- is already doing this, to an extent -- mixing up regular-looking commercials with short form QR code messaging and short, display-like interactive advertising content.

And speaking of greater flexibility, fourth-quarter TV network upfront deals could disappear altogether.

For media sellers, all is not lost. Many could adjust their parameters around limited flexibility -- with their own agentic AI selling agents.

So while some platforms might make losses, they could make gains with other brands.

Will buying and selling AI agents really talk with each other... or will they do battle? On the buying side, all that would shrink transaction costs. But at what cost?

The bad news? Some dark, movie-like drama story arcs from futurists may wonder about hundreds of millions of dollars quickly shifting-- with little notice -- to Walt Disney from NBCUniversal.

Transparency? Perhaps those agents will calm some fears and give us a few crumbs to consider.