Hasta La Creative!

TV networks this week tried their darndest to get media buyers and advertisers to forget about how the entire industry is in flux. But even amid dramatic performances from Jennifer Lopez and Thirty Seconds to Mars and hilarious stand-up routines from the likes of Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers, it was hard to ignore CBS’ legal battles, the questions surrounding “New Fox” and Tuner parent Time Warner’s wait for a judge’s decision on its merger with AT&T. The uncertainties were top of mind as industry folks nibbled on raw oysters at The Plaza and devoured sushi at Central Park.

That said, those external factors are not expected to play much of a role in what comes next.

There will be a week or two (hopefully) of reprieve before advertisers start registering budgets with their agencies, telling buyers how much money they have available to work with. Then networks will vie for billions of dollars in ad commitments for next season. Once again, deal-making is expected to drag into the summer (gone are the days when most business wraps by the 4th of July) and this year is poised to be especially complicated.

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