Introductions will never die, they will change into a new form.
Yes, long gone are the days when TV introductions culminated in the broadcast network revealing its fall schedule. In their place are star-studded celebrations of corporate synergies, as movies, TV shows, original broadcast, sports, news and even theme parks get time in an increasingly intense pitch to CMOs, media buyers and other power players on Madison Avenue.
Last year’s introduction was marred by President Trump’s surprise tariffs (which were found to be unconstitutional earlier this year), but despite the geopolitical tensions, this year’s ad market appears to be…unaffected, at least for now.
“Yes, there’s a lot of hype, but I still think marketers are spending money,” says one ad sales president. “I don’t think we’re in the slowdown mode that we had a little bit last year in terms of the tariffs and what they mean. And by the way, the market rebounded very quickly after that. I think it was a moment.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s a bull market, but it’s certainly not a bear market,” says another ad sales president. “There’s a little bit of caution in terms of the macroeconomic climate, the overall economy, interest rates, etc. And then I think geopolitics is at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds, but it hasn’t shown up or translated into any meaningful deviations.”
So, what can people expect starting with NBCUniversal on Monday morning and climaxing with YouTube on Wednesday night? Hollywood Reporter I spoke to chief marketing officers, media buyers, and senior network advertising executives to learn about trend lines.
Lots of NFL (and other sports too)
See, despite the ongoing federal investigation and a potential influence campaign led by Fox, the NFL remains the undisputed king of television. Each presenting company (except Warner Bros. Discovery, sorry WBD) has the rights to the NFL game, and each will benefit from those rights.
Look for surprise deals on new games (like the Thanksgiving game the league is shopping around), a release schedule for big games, and maybe an appearance or two from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell himself.
The Walt Disney Company is now in the market for the 2027 Super Bowl and is riding high, so expect plenty of football Tuesday in advance at Javits Center.
But it won’t just be the NFL on stage. With the World Cup kicking off in North America this summer (Fox and NBCUniversal’s Telemundo have the rights) and with new WNBA deals starting as well, expect plenty of other sports stars to make an appearance. In fact, Amazon’s vice president of ad sales, Tanner Elton, says Prime Video has already sold out of this season’s WNBA ad inventory, and multiple sources say demand for women’s sports remains very high.
Creative people, creative people everywhere
When YouTube first conquered the top week of TV in 2022, it did so as a digital disruptor.
It’s now actually closer, with a large-scale concert (Lady Gaga last year, Chapel Rowan this year) and a lineup of major content creators to attract ad buyers. Trevor Noah, Karim Rahma and Alex Cooper are among the creators chosen by YouTube this year.
But multiple sources say YouTube won’t be alone. Expect creators to appear at several other events next week as well. Fox’s Tubi has made a business out of giving YouTube talent deals for shows and movies, and Netflix has turned to creators of kids and family content (Ms. Rachel and Mark Rober) and video podcasts (like Barstool Sports and The Ringer).
“Intros are not, premium video is not, just in terms of these professionally produced super talents. “You’re seeing all this creator content coming to these streaming platforms,” says one buying source. “Tubi has a creator who does Disney shows and all these major networks that NBC uses [creators] For the Olympics. What lives outside the mainstream is now the mainstream. TikTok-ification of TV.
Other streaming platforms like Disney+ and Peacock have suggested in recent months that their push into vertical video could go beyond just clones of their shows, so could creators content around their fanbase be the next step?
And the conversation that…
Word of the week will be: “Fandoms”
You can count on it.
Peacock is building its content strategy around this topic: “As we look to the future of our fanbase, we know that our fans want deeper access, and we know that new viewers want the easiest possible entry point into our content,” Frances Berwick, president of Bravo and Peacock unscripted, said at an event in March.
New Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro (look for him to appear Tuesday) talked about how much fans care about Disney brands repeatedly in his first earnings report, mentioning the word “fan” or “fans” about 30 times in the earnings call.
Likewise, Netflix and HBO Max have also tended to develop fanbases around their franchise IP, be it Harry Potter and game of thrones or Bridgerton and Demon hunters in kpop.
With entertainment franchises on the rise, forming a “fanbase” around this IP is the next logical step.
Proxy buying… and other ad tech buzzwords
Look, the advertising industry has always been an early adopter of new technologies, and AI has legitimately transformed the advertising business. Brands now pitch their creatives to big platforms, and their proxy ad technology does the rest “It’s really like magic,” says one buy-side source.
So of course streaming platforms need to catch up. And they are. If you have a bingo card presented, make sure there is an ‘Agent’, ‘Result’ or ‘AI’ on your board and your win will be guaranteed.
Last year, Amazon and Netflix unveiled ad formats that use generative AI to develop custom creatives. We expect more of that this year.
“I understand from a publisher perspective and a platform perspective how important that is, but from an advertiser perspective, as we move toward automation and performance, and add whatever buzzword you want to throw around, why should we continue to rely on it? [to the upfronts]“I don’t see a lot of value in it,” says a buy-side source. But, you know, I think the role of the down payment is evolving, because the way we buy is evolving.
“With the legacy systems that existed in the not-so-distant past, you know, you could plan something, and it would take 30 days to get the thing, and then with digitization, you had more real-time data,” answers one network source. “Now, with all the agent systems being built around measurement and the automation that drives the intelligence around targeting, and having the opportunity to really measure and improve results in real time, all of that will change the speed at which they need to operate and plan their business.”
Self-hatred
Jimmy Kimmel’s annual upfront routine is sure to be closely watched given the current relationship between Disney and the FCC. Seth Meyers’ opening day roast is sure to be similarly prickly. And Trevor Noah will likely have some words to say about the old TV world he left behind on YouTube.
As one source quipped when asked about the state of the fronts: “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.”
