WHY THIS MATTERS: Cable networks see data and lower ad loads as ways to compete in the upcoming upfront market.
As another upfront approaches, Donna Speciale, Turner's president for ad sales, is happy to hear that more programmers are picking up on themes that she's been pitching for years.
Turner was an early adopter when it came to using data to help clients target likely buyers of their products across its portfolio of networks.
It was also among the leader in talking about improving the TV consumer's experience by cutting back on commercials, first on truTV, then on original programs on TNT and TBS.
Both of those topics are likely to be big talking points during upfront discussions, if not big business drivers during negotiations with media buyers.
Already this year, Fox and NBCUniversal have made big announcements about their plans to cut commercials. Fox, which someday hopes to get down to two minutes of commercials per hour, is planning to have its Sunday shows feature commercials only in special two-spot pods. NBCU promises to cut the ad load in original primetime programming on its networks by 10%, with 20% fewer commercials during each break.
At this point, Speciale isn't exactly saying I told you so. But she does see the industry moving in the direction in which she has already tried to set up shop.
The TV Experience Matters
With regard to the NBCU and Fox announcements, Speciale said she's pleased.
I feel like finally maybe everybody in the marketplace is now realizing that the experience is obviously really important, there's a lot of choices that our viewers have, whether it's Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, all of our properties, she said. Now, I feel like everybody's realizing that in order for us to really fix this and fine-tune it, we all kind of have to do this together.
Improving the experience goes hand-in-hand with adding data to the ad-sales mix.
It's all connected, she said. It wasn't one without the other. You need every piece that we have been building and all of our capabilities.
A dash of creativity is required, as well, in commercials and branded content. We need better storytelling for the experience of the entire show, Speciale said. I think it will lift all boats.
Will Turner's boat be lifted a little higher because Speciale was a little ahead of the pack?
Turner has definitely been benefiting, she said. We've been getting our fair share across all of our networks.
What I see happening at some point in the marketplace is, and this has been happening for a while, marketers have been wanting to align to fewer partners, Speciale added. We have been leading in the marketplace and marketers want to go with partners who are going to take them to that next evolution of what our business is.
After possibly being ahead of the game, the future is here for Turner, Speciale said. And marketers can't wait any longer either. We've been seeing a lot more marketers coming into the audience space. Open AP has definitely helped that.
Open AP was set up to help advance audience buying by standardizing how clients define their target markets and by providing post-campaign analyses that show the effectiveness of data-driven campaigns.
A year after it was set up as a consortium among Turner, 21st Century Fox and Viacom, Open AP still has only three members heading into the upfront.
I'm hoping that prior to the upfront there will be some more announcements, Speciale said. Stay tuned.
Last spring's Open AP announcement came before the project was fully ready to go. But it was a tough secret to keep and it needed to get out for the marketers to realize we were very serious, Speciale said.
In the meantime, the Turner ad sales president pointed out that clients who have tried data-driven, audience-based campaigns have come back for more and increased their spending. We've increased every single year, Speciale said. Same advertisers, bigger budgets. More advertisers have come into the network and are doing it. It's been great.
Turner said clients who do audience buying are spending 25% of their total budget on audiences. The return on investment is big, an average of $5.66 for every dollar spent, representing a 122% increase over the ROI delivered by standard demo deals.
But a lot of other marketers haven't taken the leap into data and audience buying.
It's hard, Speciale said. It's not easy. It's a little complicated. And there's a lot of training, which is what we've been focusing on.
Internally, many clients have procurement people who need to compare next year's plan with the current plan. If there's no history on data-driven advertising, it is hard to get it approved.
You only need to do it once. Once you do it, they you have history. Then you can start comparing it. And don't forget: Everybody has renewed. So, for everybody who has been dipping their toe in, it's not even experimental anymore. Now they're using it.
Data helps TV compete against digital and TV has to press its advantages at a time when Facebook and Google are being questioned by advertisers.
During its upfront, Turner will again focus on the concept of fans.
What is true is that our fans want this content no matter where it is, no matter what screen it's on, Speciale said. And I think everybody knows that. So if you're watching Conan, and you want to watch it online, you watch it online. If you're seeing clips on YouTube, you're seeing clips on YouTube. It's happening. The behavior of the viewer and the consumer is definitely on all screens. We just all have to figure out, especially for media companies how do I get paid for it?
Searching For a Metric
They can't get paid on it based on Nielsen ratings. We should
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
12/05/2026
CVP, one of Europe's leading suppliers of professional video and broadcast solutions, has appointed Randy Koeman as Sales Manager, Netherlands, marking anot...
12/05/2026
Taiwan Television has expanded its HD content ingest workflow capabilities by investing in the PlayBox Neo Suite - a leading multi-channel multi-server UHD/HD/S...
12/05/2026
Jigsaw24 is strengthening its media team with the appointment of Tom Laker as Client Director and Ashish Chauhan as Project Manager. These strategic hires bring...
12/05/2026
Broadcast playout leader showcases hybrid IP infrastructure and workflow automation with Videoland deployment as regional benchmark...
12/05/2026
dzjinius, the all-in-one production management platform for the media and entertainment industry, will showcase its centralised approach to production workflows...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
NUGEN Audio will debut Version 1.1 of DialogCheck, its intelligent dialog intelligibility and compliance tool, at the 2026 Media Production & Technology Show (S...
12/05/2026
The reactive visuals can adapt to any stage or screen setup and comprise 50 layers of Notch content
Today, Disguise announced that its high performance GX 3 m...
12/05/2026
Snapgrid , Snapbag & Airglow Expand Creative Control for the ARRI Modular LED BarFollowing the launch of the ARRI Omnibar, DoPchoice introduces a dedicated li...
12/05/2026
May 12th, 2026 Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA FESTIVAL UNVEILS 2026 GAMES PROGRAM
Tribeca Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary With World Premieres and Pl...
12/05/2026
May 12th, 2026 Press Materials Available Here
MADONNA BRINGS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF CONFESSIONS II TO 2026 TRIBECA FESTIVAL
The Global Icon Will Unveil a Cine...
12/05/2026
Customer demand for data continues to grow in the first quarter of 2026 at Magya...
WHY THIS MATTERS: Cable networks see data and lower ad loads as ways to compete in the upcoming upfront market.
