The CW Wraps Upfront With Strong Volume and 9-11% CPM Increases

Two days after NBCUniversal said it was "pretty much done" with its upfront negotiations, The CW once again became the first network to officially cross the finish line. A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Adweek that The CW wrapped up talks with CPM (cost per thousand viewers reached) increases in the high single to low double-digit range, around 9-11%. Volume was also strong in linear and streaming, and the company's sellout was around 80%. The numbers are in line with many other media companies, including NBCU, Paramount and Fox, which all confirmed CPM increases in the high single to low double-digits earlier this week as they near the end of their respective negotiations. In addition to returning shows All American and All American: Homecoming, the network's three new shows, The Winchesters, Walker Independence and Gotham Knights, were among the five series that stood out during negotiations. The interest wasn't that surprising, as the three new series are based on previous successful IP. Rob Tuck on ‘the Elephant in the Room’ During The CW’s Upfront "You try to make sure that the I’s are dotted, the T’s are crossed, so when you go into real formal discussions about budgets and mixes and CPM changes and stuff like that, all of this background stuff is agreed upon and clear. We’re having all those conversations with everybody. As I said, we’re not the big guy that’s going to move the market. We will move along with it, and when our time comes, we’re ready to go," Rob Tuck, evp, national sales, The CW, told Adweek in May. First across the finish line again The CW was also the first broadcaster to finalize negotiations in 2021, wrapping up talks in just a few weeks. Last year, the network pushed for CPM increases between 19% and 21% and saw volume increases in its linear and digital offerings. "It is pretty funny how that comes out. We are small. We’re not the guys that are going to push this market through. We know what we need to do. I think it’s easier for us because of the fact that we are one daypart. We’re on linear; we’re on digital. And for us, that’s a lot easier to handle. We don’t have as many buckets as everybody else needs to do. And so, once it’s our time, and the advertisers let us know when they’re teeing us up and getting ready to go, we do business. It doesn’t take much to fill our tanks," Tuck told us. In addition to canceling several shows, including Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Charmed and Dynasty, The CW also recently announced that Riverdale is ending after its upcoming seventh season. Despite the notable series cancellations and a transition year for the company as a possible sale lingers, Tuck told Adweek it was "business as usual" for negotiations, and the company's inventory wouldn't suffer. The CW's upfront priorities this year focused on the network's content offering, which included the three new shows and the company folding CW Seed into one unified app. Tuck explained The CW strives to deliver on its upfront promises. "It is a partnership between us and the advertisers to make sure that we deliver and they’re happy. We want them to be happy because we want them to come back. There are a lot of alternatives out there. You’ve probably heard some of the horror stories of deals not delivering and advertisers just stuck out there with no solutions. That’s not our way," Tuck said.