Cable networks are wrapping their New York upfront presentations on an upbeat. Cable is widening its viewership gap over broadcast, so cable execs think that they have a good chance to turn even more advertisers their way this year. Buyers shied away from broadcast's high rates last year. Even before the Big Four networks finished announcing their fall schedules, advertisers had shifted $600 million to cable. That gave cable an upfront total of about $9 billion, a 15% increase from 2003. Early market assessments put upfront advertising commitments to national broadcast, cable and syndication at $18.5 billion-$18.7 billion, up 4%-5% from the $17.8 billion generated last year. Out of the expected gain of up to $900 million, according to industry sources, cable networks could scoop up more than $600 million if buyers again balk at high broadcast pricing. But pre-upfront predictions are just that. The market moves in mysterious ways.
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