• Ad Age, Thursday, June 7, 2007 11 AM

The upfront market may be about to really begin dealing, according to some buyers as marketers start to register budgets after analyzing the complex TV landscape.

One says the market could get underway within the next few days, but another cautions the networks may not be ready until most budgets are, which might push things back a bit. As usual, there is already a gulf between what sellers would like to get, and what buyers are willing to pay.

One buyer says the nets may ask for CPM increases of 5% to 6%, but advertisers are looking at 1% to 2% -- and may even ask for some rollbacks. The general consensus is that a large part of the bargaining should be done by July 4.

Read the whole story at Ad Age »