Media empire builder Byron Allen entered the in-person New York City Upfront arena April 26. The decision to showcase Allen Media Group's assortment of TV ventures before a gathering of advertising industry officials and media journalists follows two years of producing virtual Upfront spotlights on black-owned TV and digital enterprises, and participation in ad agency Magna's Equity Upfront event earlier this year. The setting for this lunch-hour affair: Multi-level restaurant Avra on the corner of W. 50th St. and Avenue of the Americas.
The Big Message: Whatever group of viewers advertisers want to effectively reach, Allen Media Group has the content and platforms to deliver, whether the platform is linear cable and multicast networks, broadcast syndication or smart TV product-delivered multichannel bundles. "We're all about innovation, growth and technology," Allen declared in his opening remarks. "We're changing the game. We're making history. We're offering diversity … and we have a great deal more coming."
Host:Allen, accompanied by The Weather Channel president Nora Zimmett and Michael Senzon, overseer of Local Now, the multichannel/on-demand bundle emerging from TWC's hyper-local segments powered by WeatherStar technology.
What Worked: Allen offering the big picture on the current state of and the outlook for his TV offerings. With family members including his mother on hand, he emphasized a commitment to empowering, family-focused content, while expanding opportunities for people of color. "This is a company that reaches out to all key segments of America on all platforms," Allen remarked.
What Also Worked: Deep dives into the mission of several Allen Media Group units, including The Weather Channel (with spinoff services Pattrn and The Weather Channel en Español) and the universe of content and channels playing on Local Now. Veteran TWC on-camera forecasters Stephanie Abrams and Jim Cantore, along with Weather Channel en Español anchorperson Albert Martinez, made enthusiastic contributions to the proceedings.
What Didn't Work: A deficit of specifics on new programming for the 2023-24 season and beyond, key information advertisers and ad/media buying agencies want to know about when making Upfront dollar commitments. There were few critical details about what's in the works at multi-platform channel The Grio, or Allen's lineup of linear cable services, or new networks coming to Local Now, HBCU Go and Sports.TV.
Bonus Points:Bringing on the company's latest trio of courtroom series judges as a wrap-up highlight -- Eboni K. Williams, Greg Mathis and Marilyn Milian (who minutes earlier picked up a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her role on The People's Court). All three will have their individual new series premiere this fall on multiple Allen Media Group platforms, including broadcast syndication, cable net Justice Central and The Grio. Another plus was the lunch Avra's staff served up in seamless fashion throughout the presentation. My favorite item: tender, succulent grilled octopus.
Data Points: Allen's media empire, with more than 2,400 employees, has invested more than $1 billion in programming and technology over the last few years (about $120 million alone on Local Now, which is expected to be profitable this year). The Weather Channel is the top trusted news source nationwide, according to various research studies. More than 500,000 Local Now episodes and segments are uploaded to viewers each day. Over the next decade, more than 3,000 sports events from historically Black colleges and universities will appear on various Allen Media Group outlets. In the weekday courtroom series space, nine out of 11 series running this fall will come from Allen's Entertainment Studios unit.
News: Count on more broadcast station and cable network purchases in the months ahead, along with increasing the variety and quality of original content. Some of that content will run on The Grio, which will be positioned as "one of the biggest mainstream networks out there," Allen said. Megacontent service Crackle is now playing on Local Now full-time. Apart from content, Allen Media Group will use alternatives to Nielsen to better measure viewership, starting with deploying independent agency VideoAmp for tracking The Weather Channel. "We have to find other ways to accurately measure audiences," Allen asserted.
Parting Words:
"We are a people-before-profits company. Watch us rise rapidly." -- Byron Allen
"We're a mission-driven company, our mission being to protect and save lives." -- The Weather Channel President Nora Zimmett
"I'm looking forward to the next technology, being beamed down to people." -- Stephanie Abrams, TWC on-camera reporter
"We're out to help you whether you're a Republican or a Democrat. A hurricane or a blizzard is our Super Bowl." -- TWC on-camera reporter Jim Cantore
"It's critical for us to be everywhere." -- Albert Martinez, anchorperson and meterologist on The Weather Channel en Español
"I knew when Warner Bros. [terminated The People's Court a few weeks ago] I was not ready to stop banging the gavel." -- Judge Marilyn Milian
Read more of our 2023 Upfront and NewFront coverage here.
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