Dive summary:
- Yahoo has been quietly pitching agencies a so-called "programmatic" upfront, similar to what AOL has been pushing, requiring a $5 million commitment for its home page and category pages.
- Typically, advertisers use programmatic budget to purchase ads through auction-based technologies in real time; AOL and Yahoo's goal is to prove the value to advertisers in buying directly from them upfront to reduce rates and access better technology.
- Upfronts are not a new tactic for Yahoo, as the company held upfront presentations in New York City during its heyday nearly a decade ago.
From the article:
"Reaction to the pitch has been lukewarm; advertisers want to do business with Yahoo and they want to buy premium inventory, but they are balking at the price tag and have concerns about Yahoo's creaky and dated technology."
