Could this be the year more TV advertisers decide to take a hard line against broadcast-network price increases and sit out the upfront marketplace altogether? The concept is one that has been bandied about for years, but a perfect storm of economic woes and technological challenges lends the idea more support than before. If more clients decide buying scatter is a better option for the 2009-2010 season, that will change the dynamics of the TV marketplace. There would be significantly more fluidity in the market, and clients might not be assured of getting important inventory for fourth-quarter holiday sales, the Super Bowl or in established hit programs.
