What I Think About the CBS, CW, Fox, NBCU and Disney Upfronts

Unlike the Upfront Weeks of old, most of the people attending these events today already know what they are going to see and hear.  It is all available on social media beforehand, sometimes days or weeks in advance.  Clips for new shows go instantly viral; if someone hasn’t seen them before an event he or she can simply go online or, for that matter, watch network television that very night and see them all during commercial breaks.

Meanwhile, sales executives increasingly share vital information with advertisers in private meetings, whether in person or via various technologies.  Very few of them are truly in the dark when the lights go down and a presentation begins.

So why continue with a costly and time-consuming tradition that no longer serves as much of a purpose as it once did?  To view it through the lens of basic common sense, it is likely an effort to stand out on the advertising community’s radar given the massive competition for ad dollars, now and throughout the months to come.  To stay away is to become a second thought.  The bright lights, dazzling video screens and celebrity filled stages of Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theater, David Geffen Hall, Carnegie Hall and the New York City Center, where NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS and The CW staged their respective events, can’t help but make a lasting impression, one that will be remembered when “the real work begins.”

In the best presentations, there is also a conciseness and clarity to the messaging that may be lost if not formalized for industry consumption.  Among last week’s events, each one impressive in its own way, I would say that the production by NBC was the most successful at that, given the number of networks and platforms that were included therein, followed by CBS and The CW, who truly know how to embed a new schedule and its components in the minds of event attendees.

At the Telemundo party last Monday night – which included a mini-concert (rather than a two-songs-and-out appearance) by Pitbull (complete with dancing girls and dynamic staging) -- a young colleague of mine who had never before attended an Upfront event looked out at the throng of revelers that packed the cavernous Hammerstein Ballroom and said, “All these people must be pretty important for a network to throw a party like this one.”

I explained that in the eyes of the industry some of them were more important than others, but that most of them likely worked very hard all year round at agencies and elsewhere and made positive impacts on Telemundo’s growth and success.

“So, this is like a big thank you for the community?” my colleague asked.  His question made sense.  The massive events of Upfront Week may not do as much to educate as they once did, but it surely doesn’t hurt for networks to take a few hours once a year to thank the hundreds of people responsible for their success.

Is that reason enough to continue this tradition?  That’s up to the networks to decide.

And now, on to quick assessments of last week’s events, at least three of which should no longer be categorized as “broadcast” since they encompass many cable and streaming services, as well.  Indeed, news about current and upcoming streaming services, especially Hulu, Disney+ and NBC’s upcoming platform, dominated the week.

NBCU

NBCU, which for better or worse had jolted people a couple years back when it merged its many cable networks into its broadcast presentation, started Upfront Week 2019 in grand style at Radio City Music Hall.  Chairman, Advertising and Partnerships Linda Yaccarino wasn’t kidding at the beginning when she declared that it would be “the biggest kick-off to Upfront Week that we’ve ever had.”  What followed was clear messaging about how NBCU does business, plans for its upcoming streaming service, a grand parade of stars and much genuine entertainment.

The show opened with a montage of clips from unforgettable commercials of the distant and not-so-distant past, reminding us all that ads can be as memorable and enjoyable as the programming they support.  At various times throughout the presentation Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, cast members from Saturday Night Live, stars of new and returning programs on all NBCU platforms, thirteen female Olympic and Paralympic gold medal winners and several NBC News personalities appeared on stage.  Mariska Hargitay was there to acknowledge that as of next season Law and Order: SVU will be the longest-running primetime drama in network history.  The standouts were a presentation for Telemundo (including three songs by superstar Luis Fonsi and an appearance by Kate del Castillo, star of La Reina del Sur, currently one of the highest rated series on all of television).

“That is what you call a show!” Yaccarino declared when she returned to close the presentation, first with her own remarks, and then by introducing the four stars of The Voice – Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend — who performed solo and together in a mini-concert that brought NBCU to an exciting close.

(Side note:  After the Radio City event, NBC hosted a terrific press-only lunch for journalists high atop 30 Rock that offered an invaluable opportunity for all of us to talk with the network’s top executives.)

Fox

Thank goodness for Charlie Collier (pictured above).  The new CEO of Fox Entertainment may be the most energetic top executive at any network right now.  His boundless enthusiasm literally filled the Beacon Theater stage at Fox’ Upfront presentation, even when little else did.  The event started off with an empty stage area; even the video screens were off, providing the foundation for Fox’s message.  It would slowly come to bright life, one piece at a time.  “On this day, in this moment, we start a whole new story,” Collier declared, standing in a dramatic spotlight.  After more than 30 years the network is once again in start-up mode, he told the crowd (which included Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch), though it certainly isn’t starting from nothing, even if the staging suggested otherwise.  It has plenty of substantial building blocks already in place.

Sadly, the presentation that followed wasn’t especially engaging, with too much time devoted to sports (including five Fox College Football personalities who would not get off the stage) and introductions to new scripted shows that ran the gamut from OMG to WTF.  At least there were some interesting stars on hand, including the judges from smash-hit The Masked Singer, Broadway Joe Namath, Rob Lowe, John Slattery, Justin Timberlake (executive producer of new game show Spin the Wheel) and the original cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 (minus Shannen Doherty – and so it begins).  Can’t wait to see Slattery in the new series neXt, a drama (more like a thriller) about artificial intelligence gone rogue.

Despite the terrible weather, Fox’s annual tented after-party at the Wollman Rink in Central Park proved once again that the right Upfront party really can make an impact.  There were stars and executives everywhere.  As he did last year, Beat Shazam host Jamie Foxx (pictured above, center) eventually commandeered the proceedings, bringing many female guests up on stage to dance like nobody was watching and lobbing F-bombs into the crowd like a pro.  I think that Fox should consider having this Foxx host its presentation at the Beacon next year, though his energy when combined with Collier’s may be too much for that theater to contain.

Disney

Don’t call it the ABC Upfront – call it the Disney Experience.  It opened with a picture of Walt Disney himself on the giant screen at the front of Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, and the collection of networks included in the presentation was referred to by at least one major Disney executive as “Disney’s House of Brands.”  Or as Jimmy Kimmel called it during his annual appearance, “a clusterf*ck of networks” that will “do anything to get your dollars.”

Disney put a lot into its presentation, assembling executives and talent from ABC, ABC News, ESPN, Freeform and the newly acquired FX and National Geographic to promote their products, all in one big show.  I’m still not sure what to make of it, perhaps because I’m used to seeing FX and Nat Geo as giant entities on their own that were always the stars of their own events, but here were reduced to “pods” of sorts, which was somehow very disturbing.  I feel the same way about ESPN and Freeform, which are just too big to be compartmentalized in this manner.  But they are, and likely will be for a very long time.  Maybe I’ll get used to this, as I have to NBCU’s group approach.  I understand this is the way television networks (or should I say content platforms?) are sold, but it is not necessarily the way their product is consumed or processed by the press or the public at large.

It also seemed to me that ABC the network got a bit lost in the massive information output that day (which included the breaking news that Disney had assumed full control of Hulu, keeping with the week’s collective assertion that the future is all about streaming).  The only thing that stood out to me (other than Kimmel, who once again carpet-bombed his employers and their competitors with shockingly disrespectful but hilarious jokes) was the fond farewell to Modern Family, which is headed into its 11th and final season.  Surrounded by cast members on stage, series co-creator Steve Levitan recalled, “Ten years and four network presidents ago, back when streaming was something you did in the bathroom, we got a call telling us ABC was going to run the full pilot at the Upfront.  We were so nervous we were streaming in our pants.”

The event ended with a few songs by Gen X icon John Mayer, which thrilled the crowd at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall – even the Gen Zers. 

(Side note:  Several hours before its presentation, Disney assembled television journalists for a separate event at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall that proved to be extremely valuable – a press conference (or series of them) with Disney Ad Sales President Rita Ferro and the presidents of ESPN, Freeform, FX, National Geographic and ABC Entertainment.  It helped to delineate and define each platform’s message and identity in the mix in advance of the afternoon event to come.  As with the presentation it felt like something of a jumble – they may all be better served via separate small events next year – but it was a welcome effort by Disney’s press team to help guide the press through this period of perpetual change.)

CBS

As always, CBS stood out by virtue of staging the most traditional Upfront event of the week and doing so with great class and style.  While NBC and ABC push forward with new approaches to their presentations, showing equal love for all their children to varying degrees of success, CBS holds rock steady with its primary focus on new series making their debut next season on the mothership and the details of its fall schedule.  (CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl and Executive Vice President Program Planning and Scheduling Noriko Kelley are shown above reviewing details.)  I exited knowing what I was talking about when asked about CBS, something I can’t necessarily say about the others.  The presentation also included relevant information about other properties in CBS Corp.’s massive portfolio, especially CBS All Access.  (I cannot wait for Star Trek: Picard.)

Even without former CBS Corp. Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves dominating the proceedings on the Carnegie Hall stage, or a show-stopping performance by a famous entertainer or Broadway cast, CBS made great use of its stars (especially Stephen Colbert, James Corden and Cedric the Entertainer) in putting its messages and strategies out there.  The timely fond farewell to the cast of The Big Bang Theory was another nice touch.  

Also, CBS is on to something with its marketing campaign featuring different animated eyes and familiar voices from its past and present programs.  It opened the presentation with an expanded version of its terrific Super Bowl ad, which stood out in a crowded field and efficiently encapsulated the legendary and enduring power of broadcast television.

(Side note:  In terms of networking opportunities, CBS’ annual post-presentation party, which fills three floors at the Plaza Hotel, remains the one to beat, with plenty of access to executives and talent, a lot of room to move around and some of the best food of the week.)

The CW

Upfront Week came to a close with yet another perfect presentation from The CW, which always keeps its events brief regardless of how much it has to say and do.  In less than an hour, we heard all about the network’s sales and marketing strategies and pro-social campaigns, its long-established success with its free ad-supported streaming platform (which, noted CW President Mark Pedowitz, “created a blueprint for the rest of the industry”), and several new series that will join its schedule next season, the most excitingly received being Batwoman and the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene.

There was also a fond farewell to Supernatural, entering its 16^th and final season.  (It’s the last remnant from the long-departed The WB.)  Oh, and the red-hot-again Jonas Brothers (pictured at top) opened the show with two songs from their new album.  If anyone takes exception to the fact that the average age of Upfront attendees is hovering somewhere around 30, the screams and squeals from the young women (and a few of the young men) in the New York City Center when Joe, Nick and Kevin took the stage should clarify matters.

Also from Upfront Week:

Univision "Reaches for the Heart" During 2019-20 Upfronts (with video) by Juan Ayala

WarnerMedia's First Upfront Opens its New TV Kingdom for Business by Simon Applebaum

Upfront 2019:  It Better Be a Hell of a Show! by Jeff Minsky

And for all of our 2019 Upfronts and Digital Content NewFronts coverage, click here.

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