Majority of agencies yet to finalise 2004 TV deals

Industry figures estimate that more than 50 per cent of media agencies have yet to finalise their television deals for 2004, following delays caused by the Carlton and Granada merger.

The negotiating season, which normally starts in November, was pushed back to mid-December last year while the terms of the new contract rights renewal remedy were being finalised and key sales executives were being appointed at ITV Sales, the sales house which will sell airtime for the merged Carlton and Granada.

Just before Christmas, ITV wrote to media agencies putting back the deadline by which they must state whether they intend to trade in line with the CRR remedy, or whether they intend to trade on new terms from the end of December to January 16. ITV’s advanced booking deadline for March has also been put back from January 12 to 20.

Some media agencies are still getting to grips with CRR and have approached the adjudicator for clarification on key points, while others are caught up in fraught negotiations with BSkyB.

One TV buyer says: “The majority of deals have yet to be done, and they would normally have been completed by now. Once the ITV deals have been done, the rest will follow.” Many agencies are thought to be trading on last year’s terms while their deals are being finalised or are on new terms for individual clients that need to be on air in January.