Digital Upfronts Come to the UK, Buyers Shrug

By: Chris Smith | Digiday

After seven years in the U.S., the vogue for “digital upfronts” is arriving in the U.K., with 11 digital media sellers set next week to hawk their wares to groups of media buyers.

Like in the U.S., media buyers are skeptical of upfronts as much more than a marketing exercise. After all, most digital media spending is committed ahead of time like the TV industry. The additional problem for the U.K. version is that it is dominated by U.S. technology platforms, reducing the likelihood of hot new content initiatives or product announcements. The message from many media buyers to the media companies presenting: “Tell us something we don’t already know.