Wade Davis, CEO of TelevisaUnivision, says advertisers “feel like they have more options” because of the recent influx of ad-supported streaming channels.

As a result, it takes “a little bit longer” for his sales team to complete the upfront process, Davis added, though he doesn’t see that delay as a material disadvantage given the strong pricing trends in the scatter market. Unlike upfront inventory, scatter ads are purchased much closer to the air date of the programming, which offers advertisers more flexibility, but generally at a higher cost.

The CEO's comments came during TelevisaUnivision's second-quarter earnings call. The privately held Hispanic media company earlier Tuesday reported a 2% increase in U.S. advertising revenue to $462.4 million during the quarter. The advertising performance drove a 3% increase in total company revenue to just under $1.3 billion, but adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) fell 3% to $362 million.

“The influx of streaming into the market this year is having an impact on the market,” Davis said. He didn’t name names, but the streaming sector has seen Amazon’s Prime Video start advertising on original programming this year, following the introduction of ads on Netflix and Disney+ in late 2022. Free, ad-supported streaming television, or FAST, is also booming, with outlets such as Fox Corp.’s Tubi posting gains. TelevisaUnivision’s streaming flagship Vix has three tiers, two of which have advertising.