With just three days to go until the WNBA’s 27th season tips off, the league completely overhauled its app and website, thanks to a collaboration with Deloitte. The W’s digital properties have long been a source of contention for the fanbase, and the league did not have a dedicated digital and content team until 18…
Welcome to Ad Age’s TV upfronts 2023 newsletter. We’ll be sharing a daily roundup of events, interviews and sessions from TV’s dog-and-pony shows throughout the week. You can find all of Ad Age’s TV upfronts coverage here.
The TV upfronts were shrouded in drama even before they kicked off. For NBCUniversal, which opened upfronts week yesterday from Radio City Music Hall, this included the high-profile departure of ad chief Linda Yaccarino, who announced she was joining Twitter as its new CEO on Friday. NBCU acknowledged Yaccarino’s absence and her contributions to the company. But it was its opening number that really had audiences laughing.
The show kicked off with Ted, the foul-mouthed stuffed bear who will soon be adapted into a series on Peacock, dancing to a musical number with the lyrics:
There ain’t no denyin’ the streamers are dyin’
And what do they need? they need ads
The profits were hot, things were cookin’ along
But then they got colder than Prince Harry’s dog
‘Cause all of those bastards are sharin’ their passwords
With all of their moms and their dads
We used to have hits that you love and you know
Like “Seinfeld” and “Friends” and The Cosby—wait no
To hell with the new ways
TV is the true way
Who needs all those Instagram ads?
Twitter may seem like the place to begin
But Twitter just let all the crazies back in
Peacock, huh? There were obviously no comedy writers in the room when that name was picked.
Commercials have worked since before you were born
They even pop up now when you’re watching porn
We all were just dreamers to think that the streamers
Were anything else besides fads
Netflix and chill became a slogan that stuck
So we called one that we called Peacock and fuck
Read more about NBCU’s upfront here
The Writers Guild of America strike was certainly visible on day 1 of the upfronts. While protesters expectedly gathered outside of Radio City Music Hall and Fox’s presentation at the Hammerstein Ballroom, it was not to the scale some had worried about, including Netflix, which canceled its in-person event in favor of a virtual one. More prominent was the lack of TV stars appearing on stage at the upfronts due to the strike.
Spotted above: Tubi’s Super Bowl ad bunny had advertisers lining up for photos.
Overall, it created what many in attendance are calling lackluster presentations. For its part, NBCU filled the gap with 10 trailers for its upcoming shows on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo as well as sizzle reels for Universal films and sports. Glaringly absent was also late-night funnyman Seth Myers, who was not on hand to do his usual roasting of the TV industry. And video interviews with show creators including Amy Poehler, Rian Johnson and Dick Wolf featured a disclaimer that the interviews were conducted in April 2023, before the writers went on strike earlier this month.
During his onstage remarks, Mark Lazarus, NBCU chairman of TV and streaming, said, “We also want to acknowledge the writers strike. We are grateful for the contribution writers make to our company and respect their right to demonstrate. It may take some time, but I know we will eventually get through this. And the result will be a stronger foundation on which we can all move forward together.”
Over at Fox, the network revealed earlier in the day that none of its upcoming fall scripted primetime series were completed before the strike began. Its roster of animated series, however, was completed. Its presentation went heavy on news and sports, with no representation of its entertainment properties.
Read more about Fox’s upfront here
Above: Acrobatic performers at Fox’s upfront demonstrate the industry’s favorite word: flexibility.
Disney, which will make its pitch to advertisers today, is pushing programmatic. Rita Ferro, president of advertising, is expected to announce the company will include programmatic buying as a core element of every upfront deal.
This comes amid tough economic conditions, which are expected to intensify advertisers’ need for flexibility and buy commercial inventory close to real-time.
For more upfront news and insights on fall schedules, new ad products and negotiations visit Ad Age’s TV upfronts blog.
British cider brand Frosty Jack’s probably wouldn’t be described as a ‘premium’ product, however, its owner Aston Manor Cider aims to take it ever so slightly more upmarket by associating itself with a celebrity, even if that celebrity is Z-list. The 26-year-old take-home apple cider brand has released its first television advertising campaign led by…
The chief brand officer at The Walt Disney Company writes about launching the “Disney100” campaign.
Coca-Cola’s Pratik Thakar advised attendees of Ad Age’s Web3 Marketing Summit to invest in AI over Web3 technologies.
Karten discusses her process of identifying social media trends and helping brands flesh out their online presence
Faced with the concurrent problems of overflowing landfills, a warming climate, and–on a much more quotidian level–the incredible headache of moving or replacing furniture, brands like Kaiyo and Fernish are building more circular, sustainable and convenient ways of furnishing our homes. When it comes to furniture, waste is growing fast–and major barriers to recycling remain…
NBC’s streaming service gets an exclusive Wild Card game in January 2024.
As WGA picketers and anti-Fox protesters crowded the entrance of the company’s upfront presentation Monday afternoon at New York’s Manhattan Center, the show went on as scheduled. Without any mention of the events occurring outside the venue, the 50-minute presentation heavily focused on Fox’s unscripted and sports content–as the company returned to a live format…
Advertisers were forced to stand during Fox’s upfront presentation while watching sizzle reels and sports star cameos.
Elon Musk’s choice to onboard NBCU ad sales chief Linda Yaccarino has left marketers on the edge of their seats, while Yaccarino inherits a company in absolute turmoil. “I have an unbelievable level of confidence in Linda’s ability to turn Twitter around and save it from the clutches of the evil overlord who owns it,”…
What to expect from the Mouse House’s upfront pitch.
In this week’s episode of Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, community editor Luz Corona and Europe brand editor Rebecca Stewart discuss the evolution of the consumer with all the buying power and the most unrealistic expectations thanks to media representation: moms. From the U.K.’s strict rules around gender stereotyping in ads to the brands doing…
Rapid downfall underscores the challenges facing digital media companies.
The Inquirer, citing “anomalous activity” on its computer systems, said it was unable to print its regular Sunday edition and told staff members not to work in the newsroom at least through Tuesday.
Linda Yaccarino was gone, but not forgotten, as NBCUniversal kicked off upfront week with its presentation this morning at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The longtime ad sales chief departed the company on Friday to become Twitter’s CEO, requiring last-minute rewrites to NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation. In her absence, Mark Marshall, formerly president of advertising…
Takeaways from the peacock’s presentation at Radio City Music Hall.
Fui um dos 21.367 participantes do Web Summit Rio deste ano. Um entre milhares de espectadores atraídos como imãs para a Cidade Maravilhosa, uma entre muitas pessoas que (pasmem) passou longe das praias e precisou de saúde de atleta para maratonar em quase 100 horas de palestras. A primeira e inevitável conclusão que chego é …
Leia Web Summit 2023 – Rio: O verão das IAs generativas na íntegra no B9.
Every year, fans gather in Indio, Calif., to witness some of their favorite musicians and discover new ones. Like any live event, there is a lot of planning involved, especially for the big brand activations that attendees will witness through both weekends of the festival. This year, a new poster entered the lineup, except her…
Takeaways from the peacock’s presentation at Radio City Music Hall.
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