Fresh off of Possible, marketers are ready for the next stop on the wheeling-and-dealing calendar. Upfronts week is officially here, and even if it may not be nearly as glamorous (or scandalous) as it once was, networks and streamers are ready, once again, to make their pitches to advertisers, even if the week itself is less important than it once was. “It used to just be the upfront,” Carrie Drinkwater, chief investment officer at Carat USA, told Marketing Brew. “Now it’s CES, it’s ANAs, it’s Possible, it’s upfronts, it’s Cannes. We talk about this a lot internally. ‘Where should we start to focus? Where are the most senior clients leaning in?’ So, I would say the glam has gone to Cannes.” Glam or not, this upfronts week will still be a showcase of premium programming that networks and streamers have to offer, all with the hopes that advertisers will ink significant deals. According to ad buyers, flexibility in dealmaking remains top of mind this year, especially amid a volatile economic climate, which means measurement—not content—will continue to be a major focus for the week. That’s in addition to the efforts to nab live sports and tentpole events that tend to move the needle. That means Disney may be in an especially prime position this year, as ABC and ESPN will air the 2027 Super Bowl. “The desire and demand for the Super Bowl predicates the entire market,” Drinkwater said. “Whoever has it—this year it’s Disney—[says], ‘You have to do your upfront, and this is everything we want.’” Continue reading here.—KM |
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