It looks like June is going to be a tough month for DRTV advertisers.
Today Lockard & Wechsler Direct issued a press release warning that "lower than expected Primetime viewership on many major cable networks" will likely reduce media availability this month.
Long story short, general advertisers paid upfront for X amount of viewer eyeballs this quarter. But as the quarter nears its close, LW's analysis shows many stations aren't going to deliver what was promised. The solution: Stations will use the remnant airtime DRTV advertisers normally buy at discounted rates to "make good."
Or as Dick Wechsler puts it:
“The networks want to enter Third Quarter with their guaranteed contracts fully satisfied ... As a result, the networks with down viewership will likely use available inventory to fulfill their contractual GRP commitments before the close of Second Quarter on June 27.”
The full release is here.
