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In the past, an advertiser would have counted on TV to make the point. But as younger audiences increasingly turn to other screens, TV airings alone don't necessarily have the impact they once did. So more TV networks are pitching programs that make use of the chatter it generates in some of the new venues. This week's upfront sessions are likely to include a sizable amount of talk about how Fox, CW and their brethren can use popular TV shows to harness consumer interest in social-media outlets. "Making sure that you've got a layer of digital and social amplification as part of the plan is paramount," said Brent Poer, exec VP-executive creative director at Starcom MediaVest Group's LiquidThread unit, which specializes in weaving ad messages into content and was involved in the pact between CW and Microsoft. Earlier this month, CBS unveiled "CBS Connect," a digital hub where TV fans can aggregate updates about their favorite shows from Twitter and Facebook, and interact with actors from the programs. On Tuesday, for example, members of the cast of "NCIS: Los Angeles" will connect with fans who use the show's hashtag in their tweets and posts during the program's season finale.

News Corp.'s Fox took the strongest stand, telling advertisers its top-rated programs generated more social-media reaction than anything cobbled together by Netflix (which recently launched "Lillyhammer") or Hulu (which has a new program, "Battleground"). Peter Rice, the network's chairman of entertainment, noted that "none of the pure digital companies—not Google, Netflix, Yahoo or YouTube—can currently compete with our reach or scale." To bolster the argument, Fox is opening a unit called "The Bridge" that will create tailored promotions to work TV advertisers into social networks and other new-media venues where fans of TV shows are interacting.

AOL will, of course, be out selling these units to run across its own mobile sites and apps, which amassed 28 million unique visitors in March, according to ComScore. But part of the approach, as with the desktop display ads, will involve selling the Pictela technology to other publishers based on an ad-serving fee model. Mr. Rogers wouldn't reveal exact pricing, but said "we're priced very aggressively to scale." He said fees will be lower than what custom, rich-media competitors charge, but higher than fees for ad-serving that don't contain rich media.

Starbucks has partnered with Google to upgrade its Wi-Fi connection, as well as the Starbucks Digital Network homepage, in 7,000 Starbucks locations across the United State