When CBS does its annual "upfront" presentation to advertisers in May, the company will be showcasing the whole of CBS Corp. rather than just the Tiffany Network. "We're going to sell advertising,"
says CEO Leslie Moonves. "We're going to sell outdoor. We're going to sell radio in all its forms. We're going to sell television stations. We're going to sell syndication. We're going to sell
network. And we're going to sell the fall schedule. It's going to be a very different look than we've ever had before."
While the nets typically sell much of their ad time for the
following season around a series of presentations in New York -- with no expense spared -- things could be a bit different this time around. CBS will not throw its traditional party at Tavern on the
Green, while NBC is skipping its Radio City Music Hall presentation. ABC and Fox will also tone down their gatherings, changes due in part to a development process stunted by the writers strike that
left networks with less to show off.
But those delays in the development of new original scripted TV series are apt to have little impact on the upfront ad-buying season, according to
a poll of media buyers by Mediaweek. That survey found most agreeing that the broadcast networks' primetime upfront could total slightly less than last year's $9 billion as clients shift just small
portions of their spend to cable, digital and other forms of media.
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Read the whole story at Hollywood Reporter via Reuters »