Media Buying Briefing: Upfront sports is getting the job done – but it’s not helping the rest of the market move

As expected, professional sports inventory is selling rapidly in this year’s upfront marketplace, notably the NFL, which as one media buyer said has become “mainstream,” and no longer the place to reach just sports fans. 

The rest of the upfront marketplace, historically dominated by selling entertainment content rather than sports, is slow to build any momentum, making it feel like it’s going to be another buyer’s market. But this week should see some of the stronger content players — NBC Universal, Disney and major streamers including Netflix and Amazon, along with YouTube — sell some of that inventory before many CMOs and top media agency executives head off to Cannes Lions. 

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