The Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation was impacted by the Writers Guild of America strike, with only executives on stage and minimal news around scripted programming. The presentation included programming news such as a reboot of The Joe Schmo Show and a new travel series starring Conan O’Brien, as well as advertising news with a WBD Stream advertising product suite and new Max ad offerings. HBO Max will give way to Max next week, and the strike is still TBD.
Warner Bros. Discovery showcased its annual Upfront presentation, highlighting its extensive selection of advertising offerings across premium entertainment, sports, news, and lifestyle brands within its suite of linear networks, digital platforms, and streaming services. The presentation emphasized Warner Bros. Discovery’s strong value proposition to advertisers, with creative solutions to meet viewers where they are with unmatched reach and scale. The organization’s unrivaled content, franchises, and products were presented to advertising partners, the investor community, and media. Warner Bros. Discovery made several exciting programming announcements, including new and enhanced advertising offerings and solutions.
Disney showcased all of its brands, from ESPN and ABC to FX and Disney+, to Marvel and Lucasfilm, during its upfront presentation in Manhattan's Jacob Javits Convention Center. The event featured appearances from sports stars, news anchors, and reality TV personalities, as well as sneak peeks of upcoming Marvel and Star Wars content. The company also highlighted the growth of its advertising tier on Disney+. Despite the absence of CEO Bob Iger, Disney managed to impress the crowd with its expansive presentation.
Fox unveiled its 2023-24 content slate at its Upfront presentation in NYC's Manhattan Center, with Gordon Ramsay dropping f-bombs and Rob Gronkowski tossing autographed footballs. The presentation featured small talk about Fox Sports, Fox News, and Tubi, and included an opening act featuring dancers in space suits, football uniforms, and Masked Singer costumes. Fox News' The Five made their upfront debut, and Fox Sports introduced soccer superstar Carly Lloyd and Derek Jeter.
NBCUniversal's upfront presentation was affected by the ongoing writers strike, with a crowd of more than 200 writers marching outside Radio City Music Hall. The presentation itself was light on stars and specifics, with a focus on corporate clips and musical performances. Executives acknowledged the strike and expressed respect for the writers' right to demonstrate. Attendees were handed flyers accusing NBCUniversal of "breaking the law, union-busting, and bargaining in bad faith."
Netflix's first upfront presentation to advertisers will be a virtual event due to concerns from the NYPD about pedestrian safety as a result of the planned picketing by the WGA. The event will have no talent, and it is the first 2023 upfront event to pivot to a remote format. At its upfront, the streamer plans to update advertisers on the progress of its $7-a-month tier and its upcoming slate.
Fox News will host its upfront presentation to pitch advertisers on why they should spend their money with the conservative cable news channel. Fox is leaning into its other fare in its upfront pitch, highlighting lifestyle, weather, and entertainment programming, as well as election coverage. Fox News is betting that advertisers that may be skittish of advertising on news shows are ok with sponsoring lifestyle shows. Despite the Dominion lawsuit, Fox News has not seen any impact on its business, and it is leaning into news and opinion programming that is perhaps more ad-friendly than many of the hosts named in the suit. The upfront will end with an opinion show, The Five, which has become Fox News’ most-watched program.
