Upfront Update: Midway Observations from the Upfront Parade PLUS Buyers' POV - Simon Applebaum

There are plenty of 2011 Upfront presentations to attend then dissect through over the next monthandahalf including that marathon week of broadcastcableLatino TV showcases in midMay Yet already more than halfway through this annual cycle of media activity there39s no question about a few directions this medium is takingMore original programs no matter the monthCable networks from ABC Family to Syfy to FX are clear they39re at the point of drawing viewers away from broadcast networks any time they want even in the fall Now it39s a matter of putting shows on and having enough original material yearroundMore networks are willing to take scripted chancesRainbow Media39s IFC and Sundance Channel which have dipped their toes in this field over the last 18 months are diving in So will VH1 TV Land BET TVOne The Hub BBC America and mun2 to name a few Even Hallmark hints a desire to supplement its madeformovie strategy with madefor series Future possibilities Oprah Winfrey Network HBSC and the justannounced Bounce TV and mNetMore scripted series from more players to fill this appetiteIt39s not just the big studios and independents like Lionsgate firing up original drama development It39s the reconstituted MetroGoldwynMayer Miramax and Weinstein Co format du jour meisters Fremantle Media and Endemol and such reality series hitmakers BunimMurray Zodiak USA Cineflix and Studios Lambert What39s more if cable networks turn their projects down they have alternative routes to goDirecTV or Netflix two growing examples Beyond all this action there39s New Voices the unique collaboration among programmers and the Humanitas organization to pilot new series from emerging authorsOnline talk up but multiplatform talk is on pause or muteVideoondemand and interactive TV applications usually got some airtime during Upfront pitches over the last few years So far not so Funny that39s happening given more than half of the country39s TV households can access VOD choosing up to 25000 programs a month from their multichannel distributor and racking up 10 billion viewers last year Meantime interactive TV is more available than ever through every set maker cable operator and DBS provider Wider access with ventures like Google TV poised to break the marketplace wide open if they get their ducks in order yet people aren39t speaking upBack to a rising tide lifts all boats mentality over Upfront spendingHere comes the return of every broadcast and cable network finding Santa in the form of more Upfront money after two years or flat or declining results Just when you thought the ad community would finally mirror what Wall Street does by habitreward networks who perform better than the year before and cut back on channels which don39twe39re headed to old times again Media buyers participating at an IRTS forum in New York last month moderated by MediaBizBloggers founder Jack Myers believe the TV Upfront pot will be around 1618 percent sweeter than spring 2010MEC managing director Gibbs Haljun dissents with that general opinion because of a stillfragile general economy quotI39m not sure the market can take doubledigit increases when there39s rising inflation in the commodity basketquot he says quotAre consumers willing to pay 40 percent more for cotton shirts we advertise There39s warning signs out therequot quotOne good thing about the scene is that our partners come to us less with cookiecutter ideas and more broad innovative strategiesquot adds UM executive vice president Dani BenowitzWhatever happens with this Upfront buyers are going to increasingly be catalysts for different aspects of the program production game from development to social media promotion quotThere39s an accountability that hasn39t been fully unleashedquot notes Starcom president Mike Rosen quotConsumers don39t have definitions any more of whether a program is broadcast cable digital or online We shouldn39t either It39s not about the channel It39s about the human experience Let39s find ways to make art and commerce work togetherquotUntil the next time stay well and stay tunedSimon Applebaum is hostproducer of Tomorrow Will Be Televised the Internet radiopodcastdistributed program about the TV scene The program runs live Mondays and Fridays at 3 pm Eastern time noon Pacific time over wwwblogtalkradiocom with replays 247 at wwwblogtalkradiocomsimonapple04 Podcasts are available via ITunescom and other Web sites arranged by Sonibyte wwwsonibytecom Have a question or reaction Email it to simonapple04yahoocomRead all Simonamp8217s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Tomorrow Will Be TelevisedCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerMediaBizBloggers is an openthought leadership blog platform for media marketing and advertising professionals companies and organizations To contribute contact Jackmediadvisorygroupcom The opinions expressed in MediaBizBloggerscom are not those of Media Advisory Group its employees or other 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Upfront Update: Midway Observations from the Upfront Parade PLUS Buyers' POV - Simon Applebaum

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Upfront Update: Midway Observations from the Upfront Parade PLUS Buyers' POV - Simon Applebaum

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