Why TV advertising’s upfront model won’t fade away

By Tim Peterson • January 9, 2023 •

Ivy Liu

TV advertising’s 60-year-old upfront model may be all but inextinguishable. It’s in the midst of an overhaul but is unlikely to be abolished.

For years — and especially over the past three years — the end of the upfront, as TV ad industry observers’ favored forecast, has been rivaled only by the divining of Netflix’s entry into advertising. Well, now that the latter has happened, surely the former isn’t far off. Erm, probably not.

Despite the financial confines of the upfront’s year-long commitments, TV ad buyers and sellers continue to seek economic comfort in the upfront model’s revenue guarantees and pricing assurance, as broken down in the video below.