Devoted to show business and the entertainment industry

Reports are that the second-quarter advertising market is going along pretty strongly. Some industry exec's are more cautious than others on whether that will mean a strong upfront or not.

While it hasn't been confirmed, some large cable networks are said to be getting single-digit percentage increases on cost-per-thousand viewers during the first and the second-quarter scatter in comparison to upfront deals that were made last June.

Some of the smaller networks, like the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel are even doing better, but that may be connected more to their individual performance rather than across the industry, as the channels have performed strongly for Crown Media Holdings this year.

Bill Abbott, executive vice president of advertising sales for Crown Media Holdings, Inc., said "I can't remember when we had this much money working on Feb. 14, I'm very surprised that it's this strong. We are a third of the way where we need to be--we are writing really good business."

Abbott was quick to counter though that this doesn't mean that it will mean there will be a strong upfront market, with advertisers changing strategies to buying on a quarterly basis this season.
 
He added that there are strengths being seen in retail, telecommunications, and financial-services. Of course the conspicuous absence of the auto industry in the mix is still a huge blow to advertising in general, and TV specifically, as they tighten up costs and move a lot of their spending online.

I think it's going to be similar to last year in that companies are going to hold back and do things more short-term and quarterly, rather than commit to an upfront that is increasingly becoming less important. Everybody is going to have to adjust as this continues to be the trend.