FreeWheel Sees Record Orders Run For Local Broadcast Via ePort Platform In March

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to change viewing behaviors across the nation, consumers appear to be increasingly turning to their local broadcast stations for the up-to-the minute information.

That surge in viewership may help explain why FreeWheel’s ePort technology managed to post its largest first quarter transaction throughput total in history, with orders totaling $1.706 billion.

In March alone, almost 100,000 new orders, representing more than $751 million of advertising spend, were placed via the system, the largest March volume in ePort’s history.

Originally founded by the TVB, FreeWheel’s ePort is the first level of automation for broadcasters and their agency customers. More than 700 agencies use ePort to electronically deliver local broadcast TV orders to stations and rep firms.

“March’s performance numbers are indicative of how much local broadcast is valued at a time like this, and how much value buyers and sellers put in ePort,” says Mike McHugh, FreeWheel’s VP of media eBusiness. “We are very pleased to make that happen for our agencies, stations and rep firm partners.”