Upfronts Still Matter, Despite Sea of Advertising Choices

The TV Upfronts have been a "rite of spring" in the advertising community since the 1960's.  Each year, for one week in mid-May, hundreds of media buyers and their clients get entertained, fed and hear sales pitches from the broadcast networks.  Weeks or even sometimes months later, billions of ad dollars are negotiated between TV networks and advertisers.  The TV Upfront has been such a successful business model that others have joined; from national cable networks and Spanish-language broadcasters to cinema and digital media.