Syndie’s Top Talkers Get 8% Upfront Hikes

The syndication upfront selling is in full swing, according to media buyers and syndicators, with major deals wrapping up last night and this morning.

Cost-per-thousands (CPMs) in the annual ad market are up by about 8% over last year for syndicated TV’s most in-demand shows like CBS’s Dr. Phil, Sony’s Dr. Oz and Warner Bros.’ Ellen.

Some high-rated off-network comedies, notably Warner Bros.’ The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, are also up by mid- to high-single-digit percentages.

Meantime, syndication’s new crop of daytime talk shows, led in pricing by Disney-ABC’s Katie, are also selling well, according to media buyers. Katie is commanding CPMs in line with syndication’s highest rated daytime programs.

Beyond the top-tier shows, syndication has an abundance of commercial inventory on lower rated programs. That over-supply dashes any sense of urgency to snap up spots.

CPMs for such shows are ranging from just better than flat to low single digits. A full accounting of the syndication upfront will not be possible until all those deals dribble in.

The syndication upfront is expected to increase 7.5%, to just under $2.9 billion, according to one analyst, Miller Tabak’s David Joyce.

The syndication upfront for top-rated shows is moving right alongside the network primetime upfront. The broadcast networks are fetching CPM increases in the 5% to 7% range, and higher for CBS, according to one media analyst.

The cable upfront for top-rated networks is also well underway.

A few weeks ago, Barclays Capital analyst Anthony DiClemente projected that dollar volume in the network TV upfront would increase 4.3% over last year, to $9.49 billion. He’s projecting that cable TV will be up 6.3%, to $9.88 billion.