www.spotsndots.com Subscriptions: $350 per year. This publication cannot be distributed beyond the office of the actual subscriber. Need us? 888-884-2630 or [email protected] The Daily News of TV Sales Friday, May 7, 2021 Copyright 2020. NADA: NEW LIGHT-VEHICLE SALES AGAIN TOP 18M SAAR BEST MONTHLY SALES RATE IN NEARLY 16 YEARS ADVERTISER NEWS April’s new light-vehicle sales saw an 18.5 million-unit SAAR Clorox and the National Hockey League are entering — the second straight month (following a March revision) of a multiyear North American partnership. The deal includes sales above 18 million units and the highest monthly sales Clorox being named the official cleaning and disinfecting rate since July 2005 with a 20.6 million SAAR. product partner of the NHL and features some product inte- That’s according to a post this week by Patrick Manzi, grations at the league’s stadiums. The agreement is similar the chief economist for the National Automobile Dealers to one the brand struck with the National Basketball As- Association. sociation and Women’s National Basketball Associa- The April 2021 SAAR is also up 112% from April 2020 tion in March. That multiyear pact made Clorox the official — which experienced the weakest sales of the COVID-19 cleaning partner of the NBA and WNBA. The brand sup- pandemic — and up 12.1% from April 2019. Though pent- plied disinfecting products to the 2021 NBA All-Star Game up demand from the pandemic played a role this April, sales in Atlanta on March 7. The NHL agreement starts with the were also likely pulled forward by consumers’ uncertainty 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs and includes marketing and about being able to find the vehicles they want in the coming product integrations in support of the league’s COVID-19 months. protocols… In an effort to get more employees and shop- While final month-end inventory data for April is not yet pers vaccinated against COVID-19, Target is offering a available, inventory levels will likely end up at a decades- $5 coupon for those getting inoculated at any one of more long low. And unfortunately, the shortage will continue. than 1,700 CVS at Target pharmacies. The retailer began According to Auto Forecast Solutions, the administering vaccines in March and is also semiconductor microchip shortage has caused donating $6 million to vaccine access initia- a worldwide production falloff of some 2.29 tives around the globe... Tapestry, parent of million vehicles. Current forecasts put projected Coach, Kate Spade and other luxury brands, total vehicle production losses from the global saw sales return to pre-pandemic levels in chip shortage at 3.36 million units, with 1.11 North America in its third quarter, the compa- million from North American production. ny said. The growth was driven in part by digi- OEMs continue to prioritize production for tal sales, which increased by triple digits and retail customers over fleet customers, with sales in April accounted for 30% of total revenue… Home goods retailer driven by strong retail sales gains. Retail sales in April, says At Home Group is going private in a sale to private equity Wards Intelligence, are estimated to be up 114% from April firm Hellman & Friedman. At Home had 219 stores in 40 2020 and up 23% from April 2019. states as of the end of the most recent fiscal year, and the Meanwhile, fleet deliveries increased by 88% from April 2020 retailer is looking to eventually expand to more than 600 but fell by 42% from April 2019. Amid burgeoning demand for stores, CEO Lee Bird said… Walmart is betting on its third- travel, rental car companies and other fleet buyers have had party marketplace to help grow its e-commerce business, to turn to the used-vehicle market to source inventory. which makes up less than 10% of its sales. Walmart has Demand for used vehicles from both fleet and retail added about 80,000 third-party sellers since 2017, when its customers has caused used-vehicle values to skyrocket. The roster included fewer than 7,000, per Marketplace Pulse, Manheim used-vehicle value index is expected to set records and the company recently expanded its marketplace to sell- through June, says Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at ers outside the U.S., CNN reports… Toshiba is preparing to Cox Automotive. Used prices will likely stay high through roll out its C350 smart TV lineup at Amazon and Best Buy, the summer. Because of such strong demand, OEMs have relied less on (Continued on Page 3) incentive spending. According to J.D. Power, average incentive spending per unit in April will probably total $3,191, off $1,762 from the highs of April 2020 and down $382 from April 2019. It’s now clear that the microchip shortage will continue for the rest of the year, with the biggest impacts to production and sales likely coming in the next few months. Still, Manzi writes, NADA remains confident that new-vehicle sales will remain robust in 2021, with a total of 16.3 million units for the year. SINCLAIR’S Q1 DISTRIBUTION REVENUE FALLS 7% AVAILS Sinclair Broadcast Group saw a decline in key Q1 Gray Television’s WMC TV, the NBC affiliate in Memphis, distribution revenue, due to traditional and virtual pay-TV Tenn., seeks a Media Sales Consultant. The ideal providers dropping Bally Sports, its regional sports networks candidate will be responsible for (RSNs) group. growing WMC’s advertiser list, RSN distribution revenues were down 7%, from $752 million developing new business revenue a year ago to $698 million. The company says the decline and growing WMC’s market share was also partly due to lower overall pay-TV subscribers through the sale of commercial television spots, digital versus a year ago. assets, sponsorships, specials and sports at the highest Sinclair’s total advertising revenues sank 7% to $371 million, attainable rates. Minimum of two years in television/radio a result that was somewhat expected given comparisons to advertising, and a bachelor’s degree preferred. Experience a year ago, when many TV station groups with Microsoft Office required. CLICK witnessed major benefits from political HERE, then search by ‘WMC,’ and advertising. be prepared to attach your resume. Leaving out political, core advertising If you’ve ever planned anything Fox TV is looking for experienced OTT brands had a 3% rise to $358 million. with more than five people, salesperson to manage, develop, assist Advertising revenue was $267 million then you know no conspiracy and service business for the Fox local for Sinclair’s broadcast stations and $65 could possibly be real. extension OTT platform (FLX). Prospect million for its regional sports networks new business; present FLX capabilities (RSNs). via Zoom and in-person; act as category In the next quarter, Sinclair expects FunnyTweeter.com expert, working alongside Fox linear sales $270 million to $286 million in advertising teams; oversee all schedules throughout revenue for its TV stations, and $155 the campaign; and work directly with million and $167 million for its RSN group. stations, advertising agencies and clients to increase revenue for the FLX platform. CLICK HERE for more info or to apply FOX: SUBCRIBER FEES HELP OFFSET AD DROP... now. Job Number: R50013912. EOE/M/F/Veteran/Disabled. Fox Corp. reported sales and earnings that beat estimates WPBF 25, the Hearst-owned ABC affiliate in the beautiful after a bump in TV subscriber fees offset a Super Bowl- West Palm Beach, Fla., market, has an incredible related decline in advertising spending, Bloomberg reports. opportunity for you! WPBF 25 is looking Though sales in fiscal Q3 fell about 6.5% to $3.22 billion, for a dynamic sales superstar to join that was better than the $3.12 billion analysts projected. The our phenomenal sales team. The ideal media giant benefited from an 18% jump in fees that pay-TV candidate will bring both Broadcast and distributors pay for the Fox broadcast network. Digital sales experience and will possess Fox ad sales took a hit vs. the prior year, when the company’s the drive and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, namesake network hosted football’s Super Bowl, which is highly competitive market. Your creativity, originality and always one of the most-watched events of the year. passion for developing new business will be encouraged Fox News also faced headwinds. The cable-news industry and rewarded! CLICK HERE to apply. EOE. has seen ratings suffer since the drama of the 2020 election KCCI, the market-leading Hearst Television CBS affiliate subsided, and activists have led boycotts against Fox News’s in Des Moines, Iowa, is seeking an organized, detail- advertisers. Ad sales at the division that includes Fox News oriented team player who wants declined almost 7% to $283 million. to grow their career in sales and marketing. As a Sales Account ... AS TUBI AVOD PURCHASE KEEPS ON SHINING Associate, you will work with the Free ad-supported streaming television platform Tubi sales team on processing advertising keeps paying dividends for Fox Corp. — a year after being contracts, obtaining creative materials, generating support acquired for $440 million. The AVOD service contributed materials, and coordinating the scheduling and launch of to Fox generating $915 million in advertising revenue for advertising campaigns. This individual will work closely with fiscal Q3. That compared to ad revenue of $1.26 billion in the advertising sales team, developing into a Sales Account the previous-year period when Fox hosted Super Bowl LIV. Executive. CLICK HERE to apply. Current-quarter ad revenue topped the previous non-Super Are you a competitive sales professional who enjoys Bowl period in 2019 by 11% at $812 million. helping businesses grow? Join KJRH Channel 2 News as Fox doesn’t break out Tubi revenue separately, but the a media Account Executive! This E.W. Scripps news station company expects the FAST platform to generate $1 million in Tulsa, Okla., seeks an experienced sales professional in incremental ad revenue in the fiscal year. Through nine who has digital marketing and advertising experience — months of the fiscal year, ad revenue is tracking at $3.4 someone hungry for new business development to partner billion, compared with $3.7 billion a year earlier. with local businesses. 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The Daily News of TV Sales @ www.spotsndots.com PAGE 2 VAB SEES INCREASE IN REPORTED TUT VIEWING SURVEY: IN-STORE GROCERY SHOPPING REIGNS Networks and distributors represented by the VAB, after A recent poll by Survey Monkey found that 86% of adults complaining that Nielsen under-reported TV usage during in the U.S. want to buy groceries themselves at the store, the pandemic, said that reported TV usage has turned up despite e-commerce’s boom during the pandemic, Grocery noticeably since Nielsen resumed at-home servicing of its Dive reports. sample homes, Next TV reports. Survey Monkey’s findings build on other recent polls and The VAB said that during the pandemic, Nielsen’s estimate research that show shoppers still prefer in-person shopping of total homes using television dropped because 9,400 by a wide margin. The Survey Monkey poll was conducted homes in Nielsen’s sample weren’t properly supervised. April 28-29 with a sample of 1,040 adults. The results were Nielsen said the changes in the sample resulting from weighted for age, race, sex, education and geography using COVID disrupting how it interacts with homes didn’t have a data from the U.S. Census Bureau. significant impact on its numbers. Beyond the main finding, the survey The VAB said the new data proved its results dug deeper into shoppers’ claims about impaired measurement Eighty-six percent of U.S. preferences across channels and formats. were justified. adults want to buy groceries While other surveys have indicated that “For months, Nielsen has both denied themselves at the store, pickup will continue to dominate over and delayed the VAB’s repeated calls for despite e-commerce’s boom delivery, the Survey Monkey results reviews and transparency,” VAB CEO during the pandemic. suggests the two e-commerce options Sean Cunningham said. “While this can each target different demographics. recent reversal of its exaggerated 2020 People ages 18 to 34 showed the most TUT declines are an important start, it is Survey Monkey enthusiasm for delivery, with 9% in that only one piece of a much larger issue. age group saying they prefer it, while The MRC audit that is currently underway the same percentage of people ages is the right next step toward providing the advertising 65 and older said they favor pickup. Ten percent of female marketplace with meaningful insights and remedies to respondents said they prefer delivery compared to 3% of Nielsen’s 2020 COVID TV currency audience estimates.” male respondents.

VIACOMCBS STREAMING SUBS RISE 6M TO 36M THIS AND THAT ViacomCBS reported higher Q1 earnings as its streaming It looks like more good times ahead for PayPal Holdings businesses, including Paramount+ and Pluto TV, reported and other digital payment companies, The Wall Street gains in subscribers, users and revenue. Journal reports. PayPal says it is now expecting total A significant majority of those new subscribers were to payment volume to grow by about 30% this year, up from Paramount+, and of those a significant majority were its prior guidance of the high-20% range. Last year’s record domestic customers, the company said. Conversion rates volume growth rate was 31%. PayPal is now predicting it will and churn improved in April from March and a year ago. add as many as 55 million net new active users in 2021, up ViacomCBS said it increased its global streaming revenue from a previous forecast of 50 million... Paramount+ content by 65% to $816 million, as it topped 36 million total streaming (9%) is in a close race with HBO Max (10%) and Peacock subscribers, up 6 million, and its Pluto TV AVOD unit added (8%) in demand share, according to year-to-date data from 6 million monthly active users to reach almost 50 million. Parrot Analytics. Parrot’s proprietary metric called Demand Streaming subscription revenue rose 69%, driven by Expressions measures demand for TV content in a given “significant momentum” for Paramount+, the company market through a wide variety of data sources, including said. Paramount+ signup gains were boosted by the Super video streaming, social media activity and photo sharing. Bowl, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, WEDNESDAY NIELSEN RATINGS - LIVE + SAME DAY Duchess of Sussex. Paramount+ also benefited from kids programming and original series The Stand and Star Trek: Discovery. Streaming ad revenue increased 62%, with domestic growth and international expansion at Pluto TV.

ADVERTISER NEWS (Continued from Page 1) packing Dolby Audio and UHD 4K support into five bezel- free models of different sizes. The TVs will also offer picture and audio control via Alexa… Retailers who sell camping and other outdoor gear continue to face stocking and shipping challenges as consumers get ready to spend another summer outside. L.L. Bean expects triple-digit rises in demand for outdoor furniture, paddleboards and adventure duffel bags, with sales of outdoor furniture in the first four months of the year already exceeding all of 2019’s sales. 5/7/2021

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