Upfront Update: It Might Happen Soon ... or Not

(MoneyWatch)  The story most befitting this upfront TV ad sales market that stubbornly refuses to start, is one that appeared on Mediaweek.com; yesterday, it said that Group M, perhaps the biggest media buying agency on earth, was going to do an early deal with NBC Universal. But now, in an updated version of that story, the headline has been rewritten to underscore that Group M is denying the whole thing. (Group M did deny the deal was happening in the original version, but the denials now are new and improved, at least from Group M's standpoint.)

Besides that seeming flip-flop, the most interesting part of the story is that it finally conjectures about pricing. Quoting an average reduction in the CPM (cost-per-thousand viewers, which is the metric on which ad time is bought) of seven percent lower than usual, the story says that the CPM of this particular, not yet existent deal "could end up well below that."

Meanwhile, Advertising Age has also reported about the potential of an early deal between Group M and NBC, and claims that CBS (BNET Media's ultimate parent), is out in the marketplace, talking to advertisers and agencies, as ad budgets get firmed up. That story also contains the most dire prediction for when the market will be finalized. Anyone ready for ... late August? At this rate, anything is possible. No denying it.

Previous coverage of the upfront on BNET Media:

• Upfront Update: Will Cable Deals Happen First?
• The Upfront Ad Market Will Start Whenever
• The Network TV Upfront: CBS Is Where the Sun Always Shines
• CBS' Moonves Not as Upfront About the Upfront