Q2 Local+National

Week-to-Week Pacing Changes

Q2 Core pace fell 0.3 points this week, driven by a 0.2-point decline in June.

Most categories saw week-over-week declines in the month due to losses earlier in the week, though many have recovered in recent days. Only ABC and CW affiliates; the South Central and West regions; and the 1-20 and 66-100 DMA groups were up Monday to Monday.

Q3 Local+National

Week-to-Week Pacing Changes

Q3 Core pace dropped 2.5 points in the last week, with all three months declining.

Forecast Updates

Last week, I reported two positive weeks for June pace and was hopeful that today would bring a third. Unfortunately, we saw a bit of a dip, but the good news is that it occurred early in the week, and growth has returned over the last few days.

June continues to be the strongest month of the quarter, and not just for Fox stations benefiting from the World Cup. ABC and CBS stations are also significantly stronger in June, while it is the strongest month for NBC as well, though by only half a point over May.

Stations are seeing very limited inventory in June during the weeks of 6/8 and 6/15, but quite a few still show opportunity in the week of 6/22. If a late wave of business materializes, that week will likely offer the best chance to capture it.

In the end, I’ve increased my June outlook slightly while still allowing for some pace decline from current levels, as indicated by the data.

In previous reports, I’ve noted that Q3 should be roughly 45% booked as of June 1st based on historical patterns. It wasn’t quite there before I adjusted the forecast downward by 0.7 points, and after that change, it still sits at just 44.2%. That suggests my outlook may still be slightly optimistic, but it remains well within the margin of error.

Between now and July 1st, we should see more than 30 points of business come in, bringing the quarter to over 75% booked by the first day of Q3. That money typically starts rolling in around the 10th, so we likely have a few more days of relatively minor movement before activity begins to accelerate. I would recommend pricing July aggressively—it rarely gets tight—and holding September high, particularly if you expect significant political dollars.

Q2 vs. 2025:

• April: -13.6%

• May: -13.6% – down 0.4 points from last week

• June: -4.0% – up 0.4 points from last week

• Q2 Total: -10.5% - flat to last week

2026 vs. 2025:

• Q1: -2.0%

• Q2: -10.5% - flat to last week

• Q3: -11.9% - down 0.7 points from last week

• Q4: -14.7% - flat to last week

• 2026: -9.8% - down 0.2 points from last week