WarnerMedia Wraps Up Upfront Ad Deals

AT&T’s WarnerMedia unit is done with its sales in what appears to have been a very strong upfront market.

WarnerMedia--mostly the Turner cable networks in terms of ad sales--saw the same single-digit growth in dollar volume as other programmers have seen, according to a source familiar with the situation. It also was able to secure price increases in the double-digit range on a cost-per-thousand viewer (CPM) basis.

WarnerMedia went into the upfront emphasizing data and assets available to advertisers through AT&T and its advanced advertising unit Xandr.

Turner was already among the leaders in trying to get advertisers to buy target audiences based on data, rather than use the traditional age and sex demographics to make media choices.

WarnerMedia this year saw investment in audience buying double this year compared to last year, according to the source.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.