ABC wrote the first broadcast deals of the upfront-advertising market with media-buying agencies Starcom USA and Zenith Media USA, according to reports Friday.
ABC, Starcom and Zenith had no immediate comment.
Starcom is the agency for Disney’s domestic theatrical-distribution arm, so funneling money to the studio’s sister company, ABC, would certainly be agreeable to the client.
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There was also speculation that NBC was in advanced talks with GroupM about a big deal. One year ago, an $800 million GroupM deal for an array of media buys with NBC Universal media outlets kicked off the upfront market in mid-June.
Earlier, Hallmark Channel and Nickelodeon reportedly reached upfront deals for cable ad buying.
