Upfronts Diary: Kenny Mayne Sprouts Wings in ESPN Pitch
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After kicking off with a funeral march and an uncharacteristically somber address by network president John Skipper, ESPN’s 2017-18 upfronts presentation took a welcome turn toward the whimsical Tuesday when longtime anchor and resident DGAF grandmaster Kenny Mayne took the stage to riff on cord cutting, digital shenanigans and the validity of the TV advertising model.
Descending from the upper reaches of New York’s Minskoff Theatre via a harness, a length of heavy-gauge monofilament fishing line and a set of oversized feathery wings, Mayne introduced himself to the throng of media buyers as the Angel of Advertising. Gesturing to the wires that suspended him over the stage, Mayne invited ESPN’s guests to consider the set-up as “a metaphor for the strength of cable” before hitting them with a little straight talk.
“I think it’s time we faced the truth together,” Mayne said. “The total number of people watching TV the way they used to watch TV may have declined. Minimally. Like, a rounding error.” He then trotted out a chart that showed a sharp uptick in the number of U.S. cable subscribers before confessing that the data was “from 1996.”
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