Surprise! The Internet hasn't killed TV advertising yet. In fact, the patient is doing all right -- and getting better.

The "upfront" season for TV networks to sign primetime ad contracts has just wrapped. All four majors snagged healthy improvements over last year's haul:

Network

2010 Commitments

2011 Commitments

Change

ABC

$2.2 billion

$2.4 billion

9%

CBS (NYSE: CBS)

$2.5 billion

$2.7 billion

8%

Fox

$1.9 billion

$2.0 billion

5%

NBC

$1.6 billion

$1.7 billion

6%

Total

$8.2 billion

$8.8 billion

7%

Estimates by AdAge.

These are actually somewhat lowball numbers: NBC doesn't include most of its Super Bowl inventory in the upfront negotiations, nor are the 2012 London Olympics included. New Peacock owner Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) should be pretty happy with the 2011 season when all is said and done.

But the improvements run across the board, from ratings leader CBS to Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) division ABC and its ESPN properties. News Corp (NYSE: NWS) subsidiary Fox Networks reportedly held back on price increases, despite the clout imparted by American Idol and the upcoming X-Factor -- one proven and one potential ratings monster. That's a stark contrast to NBC's attempt to raise prices by 18%, though it's had to settle for about 15% higher price tags per spot. Then again, Fox already commands strong prices; commonly considered a "mini-major" in the industry, Fox typically broadcasts about two hours of primetime programming every night, versus six for the other three.

This uptick reverses a long-running trend of lower and lower upfront sales. Advertisers have been shifting their ad budgets to a heavier mix of online and mobile marketing, where Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) reign supreme.

Also, they've been leery of paying high prices for ad spots that are easily skipped if you use a TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO) or similar DVR device. Skipped ads just aren't as effective as the ones you actually watch. With a few years of widespread DVR activity under their belts, perhaps it's time for a collective sigh of relief -- ads aren't worthless in this environment after all!

Where will the entertainment industry go from here? Read up on this multifaceted sector, then add a few key operators to your watchlist: