Advertisers are pushing networks to allow them to back out of spending commitments amid the coronavirus pandemic

The Wall Street Journal

"Advertisers are pressing for unprecedented flexibility to back out of monthslong spending commitments with TV networks, concerned that the coronavirus pandemic is sapping the fall schedule of new programming and threatening the National Football League’s season," reports The Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Bruell. "By this time of year, advertisers usually have struck broad deals governing the TV season that starts each September. This year, the pandemic scrambled the equation, delaying those deals and introducing new risks for marketers—most notably, whether the content on which they want to advertise will even get aired."