In releasing its 2002-03 upfront cost-per-thousand-homes estimates
Tuesday, Jack Myers Reports said the 'Big Four' broadcast-TV networks
boosted their CPMs by an average of 7.5 percent.
The daily fax newsletter's data, culled from media buyers and sellers, showed
weblets The WB Television Network and UPN notching the biggest primetime CPM
hikes -- 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively -- followed by CBS' 11
percent.
NBC posted an 8 percent CPM increase in the upfront, according to Myers, who
added that Fox's CPMs rose 7 percent and ABC's 5 percent.
In the TV networks' other dayparts, early-morning and late night rose the
most, with CPMs gaining an average of 7 percent in each daypart, followed by
evening news (1 percent) and daytime (flat), Myers added.
In network cable's upfront, Myers estimated that major niche networks saw
CPMs rise by 4 percent, as did the cable news services, while broad-based
networks' CPMs dropped 2 percent from last year's upfront and so-called
third-tier programmers fell 3 percent.
Myers singled out MTV: Music Television, E! Entertainment Television and
Comedy Central as having averaged 8 percent CPM growth, with ESPN at 6
percent.
On the down side, Myers recalled that USA Networks Inc. made deals early in
the upfront market by slashing CPMs 8 percent to 15 percent and added that
Lifetime Television also sought to increase revenue share by cutting CPMs 'in
the low single-digits.'
Turning to the post-upfront scatter marketplace, Myers said tight TV and
cable inventory has translated into overall CPM increases 'as high as 20 percent
and even to 30 percent.' That tightness has bolstered the fortunes of 'the
second- and third-tier networks,' the analyst added.
