MTV Scales Back Upfront

• by Bryan Bedder more photos
• (EXCLUSIVE ACCESS) (L-R) TV personality Stephen Colbert, actress Sarah Silverman, actor/comedian...

Upfront parties are the TV networks’ way of wowing ad buyers with their fall schedule -- getting them to fork over the big bucks “up front” at the beginning of the season. That’s the way things are typically done.

But this year has been far from typical. Declining ratings, a poor economy, and the writers’ strike have given advertisers cold feet. Upfront sales are expected to be off as much as 14%.

Seeing no profitable way to heat up buyers’ tootsies, the networks have chosen to cut their losses -- by cutting back on the usual Broadway-style flash and pizzazz at these events.

MTV Networks held its Upfront presentation Thursday in New York, and the production was decidedly understated compared to years past. Especially for MTV, which has a reputation for being the flashiest and pizzazziest net of them all.

In the day, MTV would take over Madison Square Garden with elaborate rock concerts and parties until dawn. This year, the event took place just around the corner from corporate HQ. The only thing the network didn’t scale back on was its star power, but then, celebs often do this kind of promotion for free. MTV’s dog and pony show included the likes of Justin Timberlake, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, George Foreman, and Sarah Silverman.

Host Jon Stewart quipped, “I thought we don’t do these anymore. That’s why we had the writers strike.”

Hopefully he’ll still be in a wisecracking mood when the show is over and MTV starts counting the money. The industry recently changed to a commercial ratings system that bases pricing on the number of viewers that actually sit through the commercial rather switching over to something else during the break. MTV Networks was dragged into the new system kicking and screaming.

The reason? MTV’s audience is notorious for channel surfing. Financially pinched buyers could use that little piece of info to knock a serious hole in MTV ad dollars.

If so, the network has only itself to blame. The short attention span is a condition that MTV had a hand in creating in the first place.