HOLLYWOOD - The combined sales of the four major U.S. TV networks in the upfront market dropped about 16 percent to $6.25 billion from last year's $7.45 billion according to an investors report prepared by Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen. The report noted that ABC dropped its cost-per-thousand rate by 7 percent, while NBC cut it by 6 percent and Fox by 2 percent. CBS is holding out for higher rates, pointing to its ratings success since last year's upfront sales, Reif Cohen observed.
News Archive