May 6, 2026 | SIGN UP
Michael Bürgi
SENIOR EDITOR, MEDIA BUYING AND PLANNING
I first heard the term "upfront" used in the context of the ad marketplace around 1991, and first started covering it in 1993. Boy have things changed, on a multitude of levels.
For one, the options available to media buyers has expanded to near-infinite choices, to the point that an upfront is hardly manageable anymore. Of course, probably something like 85% of all those options are under the control of maybe 10 companies, which simplifies things in some ways but also represents a concentration of clout never seen before.
Secondly, linear TV, in just a few years, has gone from the central focus of upfront negotiations, to filler that helps to round out GRPs sought. CTV, streaming, social video and other digital options have become preferred options.
Perhaps the most fundamental change is how relationships — human to human negotiation, friendship, hostility and all emotions in between — have taken a back seat to automation, programmatic investment and agentic connection. That feels like the biggest loss to my thinking. I realize the complexity of the marketplace requires machine thinking and learning. Still, something got lost along the way.
(RIP Ted Turner, the last of the media moguls of a bygone era.)
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