Fox launches television advert sales season

Los Angeles Fox Broadcasting has kicked off this year's television advertising sales season another sign that companies are stepping up their purchase of TV time to pitch their products after two years of cautious spending because of economic uncertainty and the recession.

Demand for 30-second commercial spots on the Fox network has been strong, several people familiar with the sales said on Tuesday.

Advertising buyers and network executives predicted that all of the other broadcast networks CBS, ABC, NBC and CW will begin selling their commercial time this week, a sharp contrast from a year ago when negotiations between the networks and advertisers dragged on through the summer.

"The market is moving quickly," said one executive who asked not to be identified because negotiations were ongoing. Fox began selling time late last week, two people said, and efforts intensified on Tuesday.

The network should wrap up its "upfront" sales for the upcoming TV season by week's end, another executive said.

Last year, advertisers held back because they were worried about the economy. And some key TV advertisers, including General Motors, were in bankruptcy. This year, however, several major advertisers have increased their marketing budgets.

Campaigns

Financial companies and carmakers have been leading the charge as GM, Toyota and Chrysler have been rolling out ad campaigns to persuade consumers to buy their vehicles. Hyundai, Ford, BMW, Nissan and Subaru also are spending big to try to increase their share of the market by taking advantage of the vulnerability of competitors.

Insurance companies and cell phone providers, including Verizon and AT&T, are big advertisers too as they slug it out for customers. Apple and other technology companies are advertising new products. Hollywood studios are lining up commercial time to promote their big-bet movies for the coming year.