Syndie's Fine, Report Confirms
By Jean Bergantini Grillo -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/28/2003
Second-quarter syndication is largely sold out and, according to Bob Cesa, EVP/advertising sales and cable programming at Twentieth Television, "at prices considerably higher than in the upfront." Syndication CPMs are seeing 15%-30% increases, he says. "And there's not a lot left for third quarter."
Roy Dundas, SVP/group director, national broadcast, Initiative Media, suggests, "War credits are being cashed in. From what we see, options are coming in low, and, as summer ratings [traditionally] drop but with the same units to sell, that will artificially tighten up availability."
Additional ammunition to boost syndication's appeal could come from a soon-to-be released Syndication Network Television Association study.
A preview of the presentation made available to BROADCASTING & CABLE says, "In virtually every program genre, syndication reaches a younger audience than the Big Four nets."
