Total TV upfront ad sales activity for the upcoming 2026-27 TV season was up 9% to $33.7 billion — largely attributable to a major increase in streaming upfront deals, according to Media Dynamics estimates.
Streaming soared 30% to $17.2 billion from the year before, with cable sinking 7% to $8.0 billion and broadcast TV networks slipping 5% to $8.6 billion.
“The shift from linear to streaming has accelerated and… cable is taking the largest hits, partly due to its reduced sports presence compared to broadcast TV,” says Ed Papazian, president of Media Dynamics.
At the same time, he estimates CPMs — the cost per thousand viewers — are down across the board, including CPMs on streaming TV platforms.
“Buyers are being very tough [regarding] CPMs, including streaming where FASTs [Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television] present a low CPM option relative to premium sellers like Netflix,” says Papazian.
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“So more money is being spent in streaming — but the buyers are seeing to it that they pay less per viewer.”
He estimates broadcast TV networks have seen a 4% decline to $41.65 (from $43.50), with cable sinking 8.5% to $17.70 (from $19.35) and streaming losing 5% to $25.90 (from $27.75).
The upfront advertising marketplace is when major brands typically buy 60% to 70% of their TV and streaming inventory needs in the summer ahead of the upcoming fall start of TV season, which ran from September to August of the following year.
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