Stevie Wonder helps The CW close out upfronts

The CW closed out the upfronts on Thursday morning with a presentation that promised to keep it brief. The event kicked off with a live performance of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, with audience members yelling “CW is the way!,” as prompted by the artist and activist. During his address to advertisers, Executive VP of National Sales Rob Tuck said that The CW would only be selling one network during its presentation, a quip that won laughs from attendees who spent the previous days sitting through often overly dense pitches for hefty content portfolios. Tuck did, though, make a point of pitching The CW’s focus on multi-platform metrics (surprisingly, measurement and alternative currencies didn’t get as much air time this week as some predicted) and interactive advertising opportunities. “We have a deal with BrightLine and that provides advertisers the opportunity to really customize their creative and get a little more interactive with the advertisements,” Tuck said during a call prior to The CW’s upfront. The CW CEO Mark Pedowitz said that the network prides itself on its portfolio of DC superheroes, monster and supernatural franchises, and westerns (“Walker” led the company’s programming pitch). Earlier in the presentation, he also plugged the company’s free and ad-supported app that requires no login or subscription. While more and more services are adding cheaper ad-supported tiers—including Netflix and Disney later this year—eliminating barriers to entry by allowing subscribers to access its content without any hassles was a key selling point for the company. RSVP for Ad Age In-Depth: TV Pivot on May 24 and 25 at AdAge.com/TVPivot Much of the network’s top talent was in attendance at the event, including stars from “Walker,” “Independence” and “Supernatural” prequel “The Winchesters.” Promos for “Gotham Knights,” a Batman-adjacent title, and “Tom Swift” were particularly well-received by the crowd. While some networks this week opted not to share the specifics of their fall schedules, Pedowitz revealed exactly what day and time The CW’s shows would appear on its network. “There is an actual fall schedule,” he said, to laughs and applause from the audience. The CW’s event capped a week of ad pitches by some of the biggest players in the entertainment world, who returned to in-person events this year for the first time since the start of the pandemic. For some, including Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount, the events were their first upfronts since rebranding. Sign up here for upcoming events and awards Ad Age In-Depth: TV Pivot Ad Age 40 under 40 Ad Age Small Agency Conference & Awards

Stevie Wonder helps The CW close out upfronts

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