ABSTRACT
Two of the most critical events in the Hollywood studios' annual television buying and selling cycle are the LA Screenings and the Upfronts. The LA Screenings attracts 1,500 international television distributors from 70 countries. Advertising funds most North American broadcast and ad-supported cable shows and the bulk of television ad sales in the US are negotiated "up in front of" the traditional Fall season by the handful of media agency holding companies who represent close to three-quarters of the commercial time bought. Australia recently started holding upfronts, between October and December, kicking off the Southern hemisphere's summer. While not technically part of the studio system, a few studios do attend the Digital Content NewFronts, a nine-day event in May in New York hosted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) that highlights digital publishers' content and cross-platform partnerships soliciting interactive advertising dollars. In the US, at least: 90 percent of scripted television shows fail.
