Fox News Media Generates Upfront, Election Ad Momentum

A year later not only are advertisers getting that message they are expanding their Upfront participation with Fox News Channel Fox Business Network Fox News Digital and Fox News Audio despite the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic declares Jeff Collins pictured below Fox News Media39s executive vice president of ad sales quotSo far so goodquot he adds quotIt39s certainly a little bit slower pace than in years past There39s been increased complexity and deal terms that have slowed things down We are at a point where people are eager to come to completion of these deals We39re making a tremendous amount of progress in conjunction with our agency partnersquotCollins attributes the eagerness to the realization by advertisers that Fox News Media does more than maintain solid viewership in comparison to other linear or digital services The services attract a wider crosssection of viewers by geography and a younger crowd among the 1849 and 2554 demographicsquotWe39re not skewing too heavily on the coasts or the middle of the countryquot explains Collins quotSixtythree percent of our audience is from outside the coastal regions as opposed to competitive news networks that are closer to 41 or 42 percent We39re reaching an important and valuable audience that is challenging to reach in other environmentsquotAs for the 1849 viewership spike in recent months that39s pandemicdriven quotThat became a lot more relevant to a whole new generation of peoplequot Collins says quotWe were up triple digits for quite a long period of time They39ve plateaued now and we39re still up considerably double digitsquotGroups of advertisers in several categories are starting Fox News Media campaigns for the first time this upfront cycle either through individual service or combo buys One is quickservice restaurants forced to depend on outdoor dining or takeout business due to the pandemic More than a halfdozen companies in this category including Subway Dunkin39 Donuts and Jersey Mike39s are on boardAnother class of new advertisers are Web sites inviting people to compare everything from auto prices Carfax and Vroom to insurance rates Ladder and reading glasses Readers quotWe do incredibly well with these advertisers because they39re able to tie sales directly to their media placementsquot Collins says Other examples of this new directtoconsumer category are Golo weight loss system and Rock Auto partsaccessory ordersThis Upfront season is one that comes every four years because there39s a Presidential election campaign in the mix As of midAugust Fox News Media signed at least six advertisers to sponsor various election coverage elements Rocket Mortgage from Quicken Loans for example was a major advertiser of Fox News Channel39s nightly Democracy 2020 10 pm Eastern time hour devoted to Democratic National Convention proceedings Another halfdozen clients will be featured on specific Fox News Channel andor Fox Business Network evenings in the weeks aheadSome of these advertisers and others to follow will participate in a firstever quotElection Weekquot schedule where commercials and billboards will play throughout that November week not just during Election Day or evening quotThere39s an anticipation that on election night the results might not be in and the race might not be decidedquot believes Collins quotWe39re giving advertisers the opportunity to extend their buy if the situation goes beyond a weekquotThe special election opportunities are quotgetting a lot of activity around technology and telco companiesquot he continues quotWe39ve seen finance continuing to be an incredibly strong category around electionsquotEarly on election coverage ratings on various Fox News Media services have ticked upward On Fox News Channel that Democracy 2020 primetime hour went from 21 million total viewers and 438000 adults 2554 opening night of the Democratic National Convention to 22 million total viewers and 480000 adults 2554 two evenings laterAbsent to this point from advertiser activity Fox Nation the programming service that started last year and distributed largely via smart TV sets and TVconnected gadgets Collins suggests one avenue for ad revenue may open up soon quotWe39re talking to advertisers about the ability to do product placement within programmingquot he says quotWe would also have the ability to run programs with these placements Sunday night on Fox News Channel to extend the reach for that advertiser and their message within the programquotPostPresidential election Collins sees no dropoff of ad business next year quotBecause of the pandemic and what happens postelection we anticipate the news environment to be incredibly strong heading into 2021 and the advertising demand will follow thatquotPhotos courtesy of FoxClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Fox News Media Generates Upfront, Election Ad Momentum

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Simon Applebaum

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Fox News Media Generates Upfront, Election Ad Momentum

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