• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, June 10, 2008

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said Monday that MTV Networks will just about put a bow on its upfront sales by Friday, with both volume and pricing showing "good growth." As of Monday morning, sales were 75% complete, he said.

Speaking at an investor event, he did not offer specifics, and declined to detail what percentage of inventory would be sold.

Dauman offered more evidence that a sui generis kids' upfront may increasingly be losing steam, saying that the sales finishing this week include the MTVN adult brands as well as Nickelodeon. (Viacom also operates the BET networks.)

Late last month, Dauman sent a shiver through Wall Street with suggestions that Viacom's second-quarter ad sales growth would come in with about a 3% to 4% growth rate, lower than previously projected. He reiterated the figure Monday; the quarter ends in three weeks.

But upfront sales are for the period starting Oct. 1, prompting Dauman to say sales there appear "very strong" and "we're feeling very good about it."

Still, pricing and volume could be up year-over-year simply if a greater amount of inventory is sold or other permutations are in play, but that was not the impression Dauman gave, though he did not comment on inventory.

Dauman said upfront sales were driven by strength in the movie studio, wireless, fast-food restaurant and retail categories. The first three were not surprising considering the younger audiences MTVN targets, but in the faltering economic environment, retail was.

Dauman suggested it was a function of a shift in strategy, with "some of the major retailers moving their ad dollars to younger demos as they're experiencing some difficulties."