Warner Bros. Discovery's Upfront Message: "If You Can Imagine It, We Can Make It Happen"

The Big Message: With the conversion of megacontent enterprise HBO Max to Max coming on May 23, and fueled by a wider lineup of content for all ages, Warner Bros. Discovery is done with its post-merger round of cutting billions in operating costs and pulling the plug on commitments to greenlight new series or new seasons of current series across its assortment of TV services. From this point forward, advertisers can expect an unwavering commitment to innovative partnerships and opportunities matched with new quality content and the building up current franchises. "We're determined to shake things up and take big swings," promised Chief U.S. Advertising Sales Officer Jon Steinlauf (pictured at top). "Max will be the one to buy for your brands."

Hosts: A roster of top executives handled the speaking chores, starting with Steinlauf and ending with Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell.

What Worked: A spot-on mix of executive segments and video montages arranged by themes from diversity to news, sports and lifestyle genres. Going from segment to segment through a quick collection of pictures on-screen that appeared to turn pages of a book was very effective.

What Also Worked: Whenever the co-hosts of TNT's NBA wraparound programs -- Ernie Johnson, Jr., Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O'Neal -- play MSG for these events, the outcome is hilarious and a slam-dunk highlight. This quartet, pre-taping their segment before covering the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on-site, kept their winning streak going. If you grew up on Captain Kangaroo and remember all those times Captain K got a shower of ping-pong balls, you had to laugh during the final seconds of their segment.

What Didn't Work: No substantial show time for a number of channels in Warner Bros. Discovery's stable, including truTV, Cartoon Network, Science Channel and Boomerang. Also, the only announcement from Adult Swim was a new start time next month -- 6 p.m. Eastern and Pacific -- on Cartoon Network. What, no brief Adult Swim promo vignette, either?

Bonus Point: Warner Bros. Discovery leaving in a pre-taped sequence featuring scripted content creators and showrunners amid the writers' strike.

Data Points: The company's assortment of 20-plus services averages more than 100 million viewers a week. Subscriptions to HBO Max's limited ad format (three-four commercials per hour) increased by 71 percent last year. Viewers under 40 make up 63 percent of Max's consumer base. TNT's NBA Playoffs coverage is its most viewed in nine years, and for all of 2023, more than 1,000 hours of live sports will run on various Warner Bros. Discovery services. The company also will present more than 4,000 hours of first-run lifestyle and entertainment programming throughout the rest of 2023 and into mid-2024.

News: Conan O'Brien will give Max a four-part travel miniseries, Conan O'Brien Must Go, late this autumn or 2024. TBS is preparing a reboot of The Joe Schmo Show, two decades after the reality show parody first arrived on TV. At Food Network, Selena Gomez will be featured in a pair of new series, one on holiday meals in time for this Christmas season, and the second running next year, format TBA. Oprah Winfrey Network will join CNN to simulcast Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom live June 19. After Max premieres, several interactive opportunities there will open up, including Extendable, where consumers can view a special immersive hub for a brand or company over their smart TV sets and devices; One-Click Reveal, offering pop-up messages, trivia or promotions on-screen, and Locator, a message informing viewers of nearby neighborhood merchants stocking products advertised. A new creative partnerships/inclusive solutions sales team will invite brands to conduct multicultural cross-channel campaigns.

Parting Words:

"We attract targeted and engaged consumers, delivering maximum impact for brands with ad products and creative solutions that provide a best-in-class experience for both advertisers and audiences." -- Jon Steinlauf, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief U.S. Advertising Sales Officer

"You need to dream bold and dream in color." -- Sheereen Russell, Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales and Inclusive Solutions

"We thrive on building relationship with casual fans. We love what we do because we're fans ourselves." -- Sports Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Luis Silberwasser

"Max will pull from the most genres in entertainment. It will be the service that fits every mood and every member of the family." -- JB Perrette, Global Streaming and Games Chief Executive Officer

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