HOLLYWOOD — Broadcast television networks typically sell the bulk of their advertising for the coming season in a handful of days in late May and June. But this wasn’t a typical year.
With the sour economy, declines in consumer spending and sagging prime-time rankings, network sales executives have had to work overtime this summer to close deals with advertisers.
Top-rated network Fox said it is nearly finished with its “upfront” sales and that it is pleased with the results. Fox declined to provide a dollar amount for the business it wrote this summer or say whether its “revenue goal” included shaved ad rates.
Fox conceded that it did not sell as many prime-time commercials this summer as it has in the past. That’s an indication that the network held back commercial time rather than slash prices simply to make sales and move inventory.
