The media giant reported strong buyer interest in live events; addressable inventory across sports and entertainment, includingThe upfront as an industry ritual has evolved from a straightforward pitch for a batch of heavily viewed watercooler shows to a jigsaw puzzles of platforms and properties and ads being served 24/7.
Rather than a few short weeks after sellers’ annual presentations to advertisers in May, this year’s negotiations stretched out over two months, with the first reports of finalized results coming in July. Disruptions to traditional viewing and the rise of streaming have played out against turbulence in the broader economy, with stubbornly high inflation and interest rates complicating the task for advertisers looking to lure consumers.