The annual television upfronts in the US go virtual this week for the second year in a row.
NBCUniversal kicks off first on Monday, followed during the week by Disney, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia, Discovery, Fox and Univision.
CW, owned by ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia, will present next week.
The US upfronts week in past years has generated billions of dollars in ad revenue.
Missing this year will be the face-to-face sell and the parties for media buyers and marketers.
But TV executives are hoping for a better result than last year, described by some as horrendous, during the worst of the pandemic.
Since then brands have returned to television. In the US, like Australia, this has created a rush.
Brian Wieser, global president of business intelligence at GroupM, has called out this “scarcity" of traditional linear television inventory.
“Inflationary conditions for like-for-like units of inventory inevitably will follow,” he says.
“Fortunately for marketers and media owners, television remains a medium that is a key contributor to brand-building efforts.”
GroupM forecasts 9.3% growth to $US62.5 billion for TV, including connected TV, in 2021.
IPG’s Magna forecasts a 3.4% lift in US TV advertising this year.
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