TV Upfronts Day 1: NBCU, Fox and more show previews—plus inside Paramount’s ad dinners

Welcome to Ad Age’s TV upfronts 2024 newsletter. Throughout the week, we’ll be sharing a daily roundup of events, interviews and sessions from TV’s dog-and-pony shows. Sign up for our Special Reports newsletter now to get this roundup delivered straight to your inbox. You can find all of Ad Age’s TV upfronts coverage here. Today’s agenda Welcome to day one of the 2024 TV upfronts. Today’s lineup (ET): Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Study guide: NBCU’s new tools take center stage at upfront Over the last several months, NBCU has been rolling out the wares it will be selling during the upfront. At CES in January, the media company announced One Platform Total Audience, a tool to automate planning and measurement across its linear and streaming assets. At its One24 technology conference a couple of months later, NBCU debuted new ad formats such as “Virtual Concessions,” which connects viewers to a food delivery service while watching its programming such as the Olympics. At the event, NBCU also revealed VideoAmp as its currency of choice for upfront transactions (a switch from previously favoring iSpot). Before its upfront show, NBCU’s recently hired president of advertising and partnerships, Alison Levin, discussed AI, streaming sports, the health of the upfront ad market and bringing her Roku experience to the traditional media company. Read Ad Age’s Q&A with Levin here Upfront predictions This year’s upfront takes place during another year of significant changes in media. Over the past weeks, industry leaders have weighed in on the top trends influencing this year’s TV ad market. Read more on: Study guide: Fox’s first upfront under new ad chief Fox will present its first upfront under the leadership of new ad chief Jeff Collins, who succeeded the recently retired Marianne Gambelli. This year, Fox will sell ad space for the 2025 Super Bowl. Collins told Ad Age that early demand has been strong coming off of Super Bowl LVIII’s ratings high. In the Q&A, Collins also discussed the importance of Tubi and its ad tech to Fox’s upfront, standing out against TV’s growing class of tech streamers and how the media company is selling the presidential election. Read Ad Age’s Q&A with Collins here Inside Paramount’s upfront dinners For the second straight year, Paramount swapped the traditional TV upfront week for a series of one-on-one presentations with agencies and clients in late April and early May. Paramount’s ad chief John Halley discussed the shows with Ad Age and how the media company has strategized around the changing nature of the upfront market. For example, as advertisers seek more performance-based outcomes such as direct purchases or web traffic in their TV marketing, Paramount has activated new measurement options with EDO and Mastercard as well as new shoppable TV ad formats. The options also cater to the new class of advertisers Halley said have entered the TV ad market as tech platforms such as Amazon Prime Video attract digital and DTC advertisers. This year, Paramount is conducting talks with advertisers under the cloud of a potential merger or acquisition. While media buyers said the M&A news cycle is unlikely to directly impact upfront commitments, it has created much noise around Paramount, particularly with the recent exit of its CEO Bob Bakish. Halley told Ad Age the drama has so far been background buzz without impact on ad sales conversations. Read the full interview here Upfront advice from Gen Z As advertisers buckle up for the week of festivities, many are seeking the best strategy to reach Gen Z in their TV advertising. Last week, Ad Age hosted a roundtable with Gen Z media experts who shared their viewing habits, which ads they find most engaging and the impact of the potential TikTok ban. Watch the full conversation here Save $200 by registering for Ad Age’s TV & Streaming Summit today Future of ad buying And on the other side of the dealmaking, 16 rising stars in media buying shared what’s exciting them the most in media ahead of the TV upfronts as well as changes they hope to see enacted in the marketplace. Get to know the next generation of media buyers, who have their eyes on social responsibility, AI, diverse media investment, sports, gaming and more. See the full list here Get upfront updates sent directly to your inbox here

TV Upfronts Day 1: NBCU, Fox and more show previews—plus inside Paramount’s ad dinners

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