Media buyers are more optimistic in 2021, but they said they’re looking to spend less upfront and more programmatically, according to a study by the IAB. The group said that optimism among buyers has increased in just the past five month when its last survey was taken. In the new survey 21% were very confident and 40% were confident. Just 11% of buyers said they were not confident.
A panel discussion featuring some of Madison Avenue’s biggest network TV buyers Thursday morning accused the network TV industry of misrepresenting itself in the previous year’s negotiations, even to the point of explicit fraud.
Currently known as Mediavest Spark after the French ad company’s Publicis Media unit combined two separate agencies in a 2016 restructuring, the agency will be known as Spark Foundry, a name that conjures an image of creating new ideas and efforts.
Buyers say the network may have the best lineup, with new shows that will slip in comfortably with its existing programs. Many of its hits are aging, but for now it’s in good shape.
ABC This Fall: Better Shows And A Better Year
Buyers: The network has a promising group of new programs, led by Designated Survivor, after a disappointing crop last season, which led to steep ratings declines.
Nielsen said last month that it is developing a way to measure audiences for streaming services, and media people are eager to get a look at that data. “This kind of research simply helps planners better justify shifting dollars across channels and better identify what they are getting for the investment as it relates to the overall plan,” says Katrina Stroh, associate director of media strategy at Media Plus, a Seattle agency.
Exclusives
Dear Santa, please deliver the following things: Local C3 ratings, standardized measurements for digital media, more young talent and lots of coffee.
Fox may have been overly dramatic with its recent threat to turn its broadcast network into a cable one if Aereo doesn’t stop streaming. But media buyers and planners agree that the new service, which allows people to stream content from local stations, does indeed represent a serious threat to the broadcast business model. That’s the finding of a recent Media Life poll inviting readers to weigh in on Aereo and its potential impact on the broadcast networks.
After so many years in the ratings basement, NBC has climbed to No. 1 among adults 18-49 this season and is the favorite to win the November sweeps. That improbable turnaround is the story of the fall season, according to a survey of media buyers and planners.
While media buyers and planners agree that Fox will win the fall, it is not the network that has impressed them the most to start the season. That distinction belongs to the remarkably steady CBS.
Buyers: CBS Will Own Fridays This Fall
After seeing ratings decline last year on Fridays, CBS should be back on top this fall on the strength of its two returning dramas and a new show that looks like a good fit for its schedule. Media buyers and planners predict that CBS will win Fridays this fall among adults 18-49, and they don’t think the other Big Four networks will be close.
Buyers: NBC’s A Shoo-In For Sundays
Sunday night may be the easiest night to predict this fall. Media buyers and planners predict that NBC will be an easy winner on the night, based on the strength of Sunday Night Football, a show they predict will see ratings rise once again this season after tying for No. 1 with American Idol last year.
The fall season kicks off tonight, and when the fourth quarter comes to an end come December, there will be a new No. 1 network. Fox, which finished second behind CBS last fall, will rise to first this fall on the strength of its new shows, according to a poll of media buyers and planners.
The media economy has been in recovery mode for more than a year now, with five straight quarters of advertising growth. But media departments still seem to be stuck in recession mode. The bulk of them still aren’t hiring, and many media buyers and planners worry that the economic recovery has slowed or completely stalled.
The biggest stock market dive since December 2008 does not appear to worry media buyers. Buyers who spend billions of their marketing clients’ dollars on advertising across all media, particularly television, say they were not panicked by Thursday’s 512-point Dow stock plunge. A short dip is not going to affect long-term media advertising plans, they said.
Media Buyers: Clients Spending, But Cautious
Unemployment may remain high and consumer confidence middling, but top media-buying executives suggested Wednesday that clients have no plans to rein in spending, though there is a level of concern. “No signs of a pullback yet,” said Tim Spengler, who heads Initiative’s North American operations, on a panel at the national cable convention.
Outlook For The 2012 Elections: Chaos
If the 2010 political season seemed a nightmare for media buyers and advertisers, just wait until 2012 and the presidential election. Spending will surely be up from this election, which will come in at a record $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion when all the data is in, and the effect will be to put an even tighter squeeze on TV ad inventory in those last two months before voters go to the polls.
Powered by American Idol, Fox has won the last six seasons in adults 18-49, but media buyers by a narrow margin think this season belongs to CBS. Come spring, CBS, not Fox, will finish first in the demographic.
The broadcast TV advertising trade group has overhauled its TVB.org to be more accessible and informative to “its customers” — media buyers. But the members section for broadcasters has been beefed up, too, with category overviews and briefs that can be printed out and taken on the next sales call.
