A+E Networks Showed Us Why Virtual Upfront Presentations Should Remain the New Normal

Planning ahead Bookmark Maryann Teller39s essential MediaVillage Upfront calendar nowOkay watching a twominute clip of our 44th president on my computer screen introducing his latest media project an eightpart podcast about the Reconstruction Era doesn39t have the same impact as seeing him take the stage live and inperson but the end result remains the same He effectively launched an important program that will now be on the radar of advertisers and the pressI might say the same about Hanks who will be the executive producer host and narrator of World War II a definitive 20hour documentary about the war that quottouched every individual on the planetquot as he explained Or Jackson who will be executive producer of Janet Jackson Family First a fourhour documentary that will tell us even more about the Jackson family than we already knowThe point of this column isn39t to run through all of AE Networks39 announced plans for AampampE Lifetime HISTORY and HomeMadeNation You can follow Simon Applebaum39s annual Upfront reporting to learn more about all of them and what AE Networks Ad Sales President Peter Olsen had to say He is pictured at top But I will note here that the allpurpose presentation also included previews of AE39s many productions for other entities beyond its own platforms including AMC Hulu PBS and Prime VideoThe COVID19 pandemic and last year39s industry strikes resulted in many Virtual Upfront presentations during the last four years I can39t speak for everyone but I got used to them as a new vehicle for content companies to get their messages across Conceived correctly they can put forth a wealth of valuable information and efficiently clarify and organize the tangle of headlines and social media messages surrounding an organization39s programming plans I was amazed at how much information AE packed into a halfhour show Of course AE did the same thing last year Watching this year39s presentation I was also reminded of last year39s virtual presentation by Netflix which was longer but similarly effectiveGiven where we are and who we are and what we are thanks to technology isn39t this all the industry really needsLook I value opportunities to chat with executives and talent inperson as much as anyone else Doing so throughout my career has allowed me to establish many lasting relationships and generate a ton of editorial content too But after the last few years I39m just not sure that traditional Upfront events are still the best way to do that not with so many platforms utilizing so much content to compete for ad dollars media support etc After all their primary purpose should be to promote product and familiarize attendees with details These days and likely for the rest of time a company need not put together a theatrical extravaganza to do so at least not in this universe In the metaverse or some other yettobeconceivedverse maybeTo put it plainly the quotUpfrontsquot as these events have collectively come to be called aren39t the giant popcultural events that they were in the 3990s and the early 2000s There is simply no need for companies to crowd into quotUpfront Weekquot and get lost in the madness of it all As far as inperson events are concerned I prefer the IAB NewFronts where several companies put on brief presentations during a given day in one location But that is another column for another timePerhaps virtual Upfront kickoffs could be followed by a series of smaller events from those everpopular agency meetings to cocktail parties of various size I remember a time when the networks of NBCUniversal had their own individual Upfront events most of them quite amazing Bravo in 2011 outdid itself with this one which took place simultaneously in New York City Los Angeles and Chicago on the night of the Top Chef All Stars season finale and included dinner supervised by the finalists It was followed by a live telecast of Watch What Happens Live direct from the NYC party That was much better than smooshing the best of Bravo into a slot during a mammoth corporate showcase which is what most Upfront events have now become anyway If you click through to the 2011 column be sure to read the last paragraph which includes details of memorable Upfront events by Syfy a preFreeform ABC Family and others Those were the daysCreative events are still the best way to facilitate relationships and generate interest especially in the business of entertainment But like everything else in life these days there are new or should I say additional ways of doing thingsPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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A+E Networks Showed Us Why Virtual Upfront Presentations Should Remain the New Normal

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