WarnerMedia Kicks Off the 2021 Upfront Event Season

There are a few unique aspects to this year39s Upfront and NewFront events beyond the need to have them unfold virtually instead of at live venues with inperson audiences due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic For the first time several organizations WarnerMedia Walt Disney and Univision to name three will hold more than one event between now and midMay Also for the first time in several years the kickoff takes place this month instead of early MarchHow many programming services will do presentations for the first time Some possibilities Amazon39s advertisersupported imdbtv WGN America rebranding as NewsNation next month channels owned by such broadcast station owners as Sinclair and Scripps and the roster of new ventures from independent players reaching viewers through smart TV sets and connected devices The latter includes Cinedigm Future Today Jukin Media and other adsupported channel aggregatorsHow did WarnerMedia do under the current circumstances My usual observations analysis and takeaways followThe Big Message WarnerMedia wants to be the king of kids and family programming with all available internal resources working together to pull it off What39s more Cartoon Network and HBO Max will be key elements of the DC Universe grand TV strategy WarnerMedia studios and networks group chairpersonchief executive officer Ann Sarnoff disclosed during her CES 2021 keynote last month quotKids and family will be the centerpiece of a newly energized WarnerMedia then taking its rightful place as the category leaderquot declared Tom Ascheim the company39s president of global kids young adults and classics content In recent years quotWe operated each of these assets in isolationquot he added referring to Warner Bros DC and Cartoon Network39s toon production complex quotThat era is overquot From now on content geared to the young and young at heart will operate from a quotHUMquot philosophy as in History Unity and Modernity using both iconic and contemporary IPHosts Ascheim joined by WarnerMedia advertising sales head JP Colaco They effectively delivered their remarks in a clear softspoken and playful fashionWhat Worked The overall format consisting of a 20minute presentation after which viewers could scroll down their PCs laptops or tablets to see a set of short subjects going in depth on various projects You could watch these videos in any order and fastforward or replay sections if desired Let39s encourage other UpfrontNewFront events to adopt this techniqueWhat Also Worked Short subjects that featured series creators animators and other behindthescenes talent My two favorites Celebrated series toonmaker Genndy Tartakovsky presenting a portion of his storyboard pitch for upcoming Cartoon Network series Unicorn Warriors Eternal and a set of howtodraw videos narrated and produced by Mo Willems working on several new HBO Max series Hearing Tartakovsky describe a scene from his series accompanied by individual sketches is an early candidate for best 2021 UpfrontNewFront highlightWhat Didn39t Work Teasing the idea that new Harry Potter content will play on Cartoon Network and HBO Max then offering no details whatsoever WarnerMedia had a sensational opportunity to quash all the recent Harry Potter TV rumors with a big announcement to raise advertiser excitement and didn39t take itData Points Plenty to chew over collected from various sources Seventyfour percent of people watch content with their children several times a week while 91 percent cowatch on a weekly basis WarnerMedia39s kidsfamily programming currently reaches 100 million US consumers weekly through linear channels and 41 million via subscription videoondemand servicesNews Cartoon Network will debut more than 300 hours of new series and specials during the 202122 season under the banner quotRedraw Your Worldquot The new content on tap includes We Baby Bears mixed martial arts toon Jade Armor hybrid liveactiontoon series Tweety Mysteries and two seasons of Tiny Toons Looniversity featuring the Tiny Toon Adventures gang getting an education from Bugs Bunny Daffy Duck and other Warner Bros characters Cartoon Network also will launch a family movie block on weekends at first presenting such WB releases as The Lego Movie and Wonder Woman Later the block will showcase original movies miniseries specials and events Also both HBO Max and Cartoon Network will premiere Cartoonito a lineup of original preschool programming with 20 new series at launch followed by 30 more series within two years Batwheels Bugs Bunny Builders and Tom ampamp Jerry Jr will be among the early attractionsParting Words quotAlways think of your audience and never think for your audiencequot Mo WillemsquotHope you39re ready to be razzled dazzled and bejazzledquot Babs and Buster Bunny of Tiny Toons Adventures and Tiny Toons Looniversity welcoming viewers to the presentationFollow our coverage of this year39s Upfront and NewFront events hereClick 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 MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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WarnerMedia Kicks Off the 2021 Upfront Event Season

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WarnerMedia Kicks Off the 2021 Upfront Event Season

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