IAB NewFronts 2022—Peacock ad plans, YouTube streaming deals and a glitch kick off day 1

Welcome to Ad Age’s NewFronts 2022 newsletter. We’ll be sharing a daily roundup of events, interviews and sessions from Interactive Advertising Bureau's dog-and-pony show throughout the week. You can find all of Ad Age's NewFronts coverage here. Started off with a glitch The IAB NewFronts kicked off today in subpar conditions. A rainy day in New York, coupled with the IAB’s website crashing, meant that those who couldn’t attend in person, also couldn’t attend virtually, at least initially. The site finally started working around 11:30 a.m. ET in time for NBCUniversal's Peacock pitch. The rain had some bemoaning the location of the in-person festivities. "Petition to move #NewFronts to LA going forward," Sarah Saul, Roku's senior manager of advertising PR, tweeted. The in-person events also kicked off just as New York City moved to a medium COVID-19 risk alert level. "Happy #NewFronts everyone! If you see me with my mask on and you will, here's why," Noah Mallin, chief brand strategy at IMGN Media, wrote on Twitter with a link to the news that the city is now considered in "yellow" territory. What to expect from the week This year’s NewFronts has no shortage of plotlines, Ad Age's Garett Sloane writes. This year will bring the first in-person NewFront shows for giants including Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, Amazon and Roku, and it will be the first time Twitter executives will address marketers since Elon Musk’s new ownership deal. Here's a look at the trends brands should watch. Connected TV boom Connected TV ad spend is expected to grow 39% this year to $21.2 billion, according to a new report out of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, with three out of four video buyers surveyed noting that it is a "must buy" in their budgets this year, Ad Age's Catie Keck writes. One of CTV's biggest differentiators over linear TV is the ability for advertisers to leverage things like first-party data, location data and shopping data, according to the survey, which was conducted in partnership with Standard Media Index (SMI) and Advertiser Perceptions. This comes as brands need to shift reliance from things like third-party cookies, which help advertisers target consumers as they move through the internet. YouTube strikes TV deals YouTube isn't formally making its pitch to advertisers during the NewFronts, with plans to host its show during the week historically relegated for more traditional TV networks. But YouTube's Tara Walpert Levy, VP for the Americas, joined MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan, for what has become an annual fireside to kick off NewFront week. The two discussed the boom in the creator economy and announced two new YouTube deals with streaming giants. “Creators have laid out the new path. They effectively meld data, creativity and instinct to build their audiences to give marketers new and scaled opportunities to reach new customers in authentic and welcomed ways.” Walpert-Levy said. YouTube will partner with Neftlix and Shondaland to host a livestream shopping experience. Pat McGrath Labs, who specializes in runway and editorial makeup, will release a Bridgerton-themed line of cosmetics. Pat McGrath will team up with beauty expert Jackie Aina (and her 3.57 million YouTube subscribers), for the live-shopping event on Netflix’s YouTube channel on May 3. Paramount will also use its YouTube channels’ reach to bring the red carpet premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" to its viewers. Peacock's plans Peacock unveiled new ad formats for its streaming service. These include a frame ad, where an ad will frame the content and offer commerce opportunities, and an in-scene ad, which integrates a brand's product or message in post-production. The NBCUniversal -owned streamer also announced a major programming boost to its service with next-day premieres of a number of Bravo’s popular unscripted titles like in-season “The Real Housewives” series and “Top Chef,” a move that Peacock hopes will boost subscribership to its premium tier. Beginning in September, seasons of all Bravo series will be available to stream on Peacock after premiering on the linear network. In addition, the streaming service will announce a trio of Universal Pictures films set to debut on Peacock in 2023, and a new partnership with Lionsgate will expand Peacock’s feature film slate. Beginning in 2024, Peacock will also have exclusive second-window rights to Lionsgate films. The service projects it will double its content spend this year alone. What to watch tomorrow: Day two will include presentations from Roku, Snap and Meta. To see when and where all NewFronts events will take place, bookmark Ad Age's calendar.

IAB NewFronts 2022—Peacock ad plans, YouTube streaming deals and a glitch kick off day 1

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