TV ad-buying season could get confusing this year

TV AD-BUYING SEASON COULD GET CONFUSING THIS YEAR
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Laura Petrecca]
Ad buyers and sellers had better prepare for some late nights and drawn-out negotiations. The broadcast TV "upfront," the annual rite when networks sell TV ads for the fall season, begins in May and is going to be a much more complex bazaar. Both sides are trying to put more precise price tags on ad time with a multitude of new "metrics" -- tools to measure how many viewers actually watch an ad during Grey's Anatomy or CSI, for example, and even how much attention they pay. Traditionally, ad prices have been based on a "live" audience measurement from Nielsen Media Research: how many people watch a show, including its ads, when it airs. This year, a Nielsen tally just of ad viewing also will figure in the talks.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070326/upfront_confusion.art.htm

* Will a New Currency Devalue Your Ads?
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=115741