Networks Are Writing Discounted C7 Deals, But Not Everyone's Biting

Even with Kevin Reilly out at the News Corp broadcaster and ratings declines from an aging American Idol, Fox has managed to score a serious deal: GroupM, arguably the biggest media agency network, is buying C7 advertising rating system guarantees.

One of the networks is said to be dangling a 3 percent pricing discount in front of agencies that will agree to C7 guarantees. It hasn't even been that long since the networks started selling C3 -- the shift to C7 is something buyers have long resisted, given the length of time it takes to process the data and the need for immediate returns on ads such as movie trailers.

With C7 guarantees, you may see that your ad was delivered, but if your ad was delivered on unskippable video-on-demand on Tuesday and your movie opened on Friday, it's probably not a great feeling to shell out cash for that delivery.

So let the message go forth: the economics are acceptable at the moment. That may mean that Fox is selling the C7 impressions for a low enough rate to interest the network, of course -- but it also means that a major border has been crossed in the technical progress of the advertising negotiations. One reason the market has been slow to start, industry sources told Adweek, is the preponderance of proprietary tech among research teams at the networks selling the inventory.