ABC and its affiliate body has ironed out a deal that allows the affiliates the opportunity to purchase additional network ad inventory packages to sell locally. ABC says the arrangement, called the Inventory Exchange System (IES), is the first of its kind in the network's history.
IES is designed for periods when there's high demand for local inventory, such as election season. The first of these packages will run in late October. IES "takes advantage of pricing differentials and marketplace dynamics among various regions, markets and stations," ABC said in a statement.
"We're creating a new industry paradigm, one that benefits both the network and our affiliates," said Disney Media Networks Co-Chairman/ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. "With a relationship built on trust and cooperation, we'll continue to work with our affiliates to challenge the status quo and identify more opportunities that leverage our unique national and local strengths."
ABC Affiliate Board Chairman Bill Hoffman called IES the product of "great creative thinking" between the network and ABC Board of Governors, which represents over 200 affiliates. He described a "collaborative back-and-forth process that forged an initiative that looks to be a real winner for both sides. Our relationship is such that we make time to collaborate and discover entrepreneurial ways to help each other succeed."
