CW Completes Upfront With Prices Up in Mid-Teens Range

By Jon Lafayette
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Three weeks after wrapping up its upfront presentation in New York, the CW has completed its upfront sales.

The network, owned by Warner Bros. and CBS, was able to attract a single-digit increase in volume for its schedule, composed of 2 hours of scripted programming six nights a week.

Prices on a CPM basis were up in the mid teens, according to a source close to the negotiations.

Related: The CW Explains How It Dares to Defy

Demand was strong, with the network getting new business from advertisers in the pharmaceutical and fast food business.

The CW was one of the first networks to sell its linear and digital ad impressions together and that approach continued to be popular with ad buyers.

The CW returned 14 shows to its schedule and is adding three new series this season, including Batwoman, starring Ruby Rose.

Jon Lafayette
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.