TV Networks Hope Sports Catch Upfront Ad Dollars as Madison Avenue Cuts Budgets (EXCLUSIVE)

By Brian Steinberg

Brian Steinberg

Senior TV Editor

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Big TV is putting it all out on the field.

A number of top TV networks and streamers are making aggressive efforts to get advertisers to pay top dollar for sports even as Madison Avenue trims back the sizable sums it has given in the past to the usual fare, like dramas, comedies and reality programming. These negotiations take place as part of the industry’s annual “upfront” market, when U.S. media companies try to sell the bulk of their commercial inventory ahead of their next cycle of programs.

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