Fox to keep upfronts but reduce pilots

Published Tuesday, Feb 5 2008, 14:45 GMT | By Dave West
Fox will keep its upfronts presentation but wants to cut down on making pilot shows, according to News Corp's chief operating officer Peter Chernin.

It comes after NBC chief Jeff Zucker said it was likely to axe its upfronts presentations. There is persistent speculation that ABC and CBS will follow suit.

In the process, which Zucker labelled a "dog-and-pony show", networks showcase their new programming to advertisers and journalists.

Chernin said: "You’re not going to see Fox abandon the upfront. We believe the upfront is a valuable platform to interact with our advertisers and from a marketer point of view, it’s a good opportunity for them to plan their spending in advance for the year.

"We think it’s a valuable part of the process for both sides."

However, Chernin said News Corp and its companies had been considering developing fewer pilots, another change mentioned by Zucker.

"We were moving toward probably making fewer pilots and trying to get some waste out of the system before the strike," said Chernin. "We will continue to look at that."

Zucker said last month that the Writers Guild Of America strike may bring forward changes that could benefit the whole industry in the long term.

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