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may be heating up Other shorts: Advertising groups okay behavioral rules Jul 2, 2009 The word: Upfront may be kicking off soon The biggest indicator that the upfront has started isn’t vague reports of this or that deal, but whether people are talking. And yesterday, many agencies that had been talking about the upfront suddenly clammed up, indicating that negotiations have begun in earnest and the upfront could finally be ready to break. Once again reports surfaced that NBC Universal and GroupM have closed the first deal, though neither side has confirmed it. Speculation over the deal also burbled last week, and GroupM denied it. It would not be surprising if NBC, the lowest-rated network for the fifth straight year, got things rolling. It’s the network in the worst position to fight lower CPM demands from buyers, with many anticipating that the weeknight strip “The Jay Leno Show” will draw low ratings. The rumored deal has NBC’s CPMs sliding seven percent, which is nowhere near the double-digit decline some had predicted before the networks unveiled their fall schedules last month. Advertising groups agree to behavioral guidelines Online behavioral advertising has always held great promise on the web, but there have always been great hurdles that make advertisers wary of the format, not the least of which is fears of infringing on surfers’ privacy. Now a group of advertising trade associations has issued guidelines designed to assuage surfers’ fears by requiring all service providers to obtain users’ consent before engaging in online behavioral advertising. The American Association of Advertising Agencies, the Association of National Advertisers, the Direct Marketing Association, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau haven’t totally ironed out the rules, such as whether they would require surfers to assent to each individual request or issue a blanket okay or no way. But the guides, to be implemented in 2010, should at least assuage concerns of the Federal Trade Commission, which had threatened federal oversight if the ad industry did not improve its self-policing. Forecast: Local TV revenue will fall 17.3 percent It will be some time before local TV revenues see any sort of sustained growth, with 2009 looking even more dire than first expected. That’s the word from BIA Financial Network, which revised its forecast once again this week, predicting that TV station ad revenue will fall 17.3 percent this year, to $16.6 billion. In 2010 and 2011, that number will essentially remain flat before rising to $17.6 billion in 2012, when the next presidential election will be held. BIA had already revised its predictions downward once this year. The forecaster sees the most potential in online revenue, which will grow to $1.1 billion by 2013, with a company annual growth rate of 19.7 percent. Local station revenue peaked at $22.8 billion in 2006, according to BIA. Tribune Co. selling national ads for Dallas paper With newspapers struggling mightily these days, it’s apparently time for publishers to band together, even traditional rivals. Yesterday the Dallas Morning News said that Tribune Co. will take over its national ad sales, allowing the Belo-owned paper to concentrate its own efforts on local sales. The national sales effort will be headed by Tribune365 National Sales Group, which handles national buys for Tribune papers including the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and Los Angeles Times. It’s believed to be the first deal of its kind but probably not the last between newspaper companies, which are looking for ways to save money and pump advertising during this recession. Already many regional or national papers have made content sharing deals. Programming notes: ABC finding 'Funniest' Call it “Last Comic Standing” meets “The Amazing Race.” ABC is developing a new reality series in which comedians will travel across the country and compete in challenges, with the first three to reach the final destination performing for a cash prize. The show, titled “The Fast & the Funniest,” is from producers Page Hurwitz and Javier Winnik, who worked on the late NBC show “Last Comic Standing.” Also at ABC, the network has ordered 13 episodes of “Gravity,” an adventure series starring Ron Livingston. The series will follow eight astronauts from five countries who take part in a secret assignment. Meanwhile, in other programming, NBC on July 20 will premiere “The Wanted,” which will profile suspected international terrorists. The program stirred controversy when it was first revealed in February, with government officials concerned it could affect investigations. Discovery Channel has ordered 10 episodes of the reality series “The Colony,” in which 10 strangers will live in a warehouse in Los Angeles. The series premieres on July 21. And History Channel is holding an animation competition to accompany its upcoming film “The People Speak.” Animators will interpret readings and performances from the project, with the winner getting a TV development deal.
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