In the past week, I’ve heard from numerous stations detailing a troubling trend: significant cancellations from an advertiser who initially committed substantial business for Q2. These cancellations have left stations reeling, not just financially but also operationally, as they had structured their rate cards and inventory projections around the anticipated revenue from this client.

Greetings, fellow TV station moguls and advertising aficionados! Have you ever found yourself staring at a wall of Nielsen and Comscore data, scratching your head and muttering, "Ratings or impressions? Impressions or ratings? What's the deal with these things, anyway?" Fear not, my perplexed friends, for you are not alone in this comedic saga of advertising metrics.

One of the biggest trends we see at ShareBuilders is the strong demand for local news in the early morning and early news. On the flipside, there has been a lack of demand in late news over the past several quarters. Some of it is understandable, given how primetime viewing habits have evolved. More streaming and less primetime viewing means the lead-in for local news isn’t as strong as they were five or ten years ago.

Activity is starting to ramp up for Q2 business. While Q1 doesn’t give us any solid indicators of how Q2 will materialize, it provides ample data points with which to give our most accurate forecast of demand. Most of the following is common sense, but frequency sells, so getting a refresher is always a great idea.

Share Points is an exclusive, comprehensive analysis of the latest pacing trends – powered by AI and updated daily to keep you ahead of the curve. To keep that personal ShareBuilders human touch, our weekly videos with CEO Erin Koller walk you through the latest findings, helping you understand the changes and optimize your decision-making process.

Current polling suggests American voters are not excited about a presidential election rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, except maybe for broadcast television stations and cable news outlets.

Why would you price differently than your forecast submission?

In the age of endless streaming options, social media platforms, and digital advertising routes, it’s become trendy to pick on broadcast television. Actually, it has been for years. The talk of TV’s decline has been a hot topic for those in media, and the truth is, it has been affected to some degree by all of the above fragmentation.