As the landscape of television programming continues to evolve—with the creation of a hybrid video game/TV series, and digital media companies launching original video series—so does the annual New York event known as Upfront Week. Now spread over the course of four months, the upfront presentations by TV networks to sell their content to media buyers and sales execs include the NewFronts—events hosted by the likes of Hulu, AOL, and even mobile gaming brand Zynga. In fact, upfront season has swelled to as many as 70 events, and Upfront Week itself teems with breakfast gatherings, lunchtime showcases, evening affairs, and late-night bashes.
The competition for attention has seen brands rethinking the traditional stage show format of the events, staging more immersive settings, and bringing in splashy entertainment. Here's a look at the presentations and parties from this year's upfront season, including Upfront Week and the NewFronts.
Typically one of the more dramatic sets during Upfront Week, the presentation at the Hammerstein Ballroom for TNT and TBS had a web-like stage backdrop. Colored lighting enhanced the look for the event, which saw Turner Broadcasting announce that it will be first national entertainment network to stream on-air content live across multiple platforms.
First on the Upfront Week schedule was NBC, which hit Radio City Music Hall on the morning of Monday, May 13. The Roots provided musical entertainment for the event and, during the show, Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon sang a duet to the tune of "One Day More" from Les Miserables.
As it has done in past years, Fox used branded balloons to lead guests to its presentation and party. The afternoon presentation, held at the Beacon Theatre on May 13, included a skit by New Girl star Max Greenfield and an auto tune to show off its collection of shows.
A new addition to Fox's post-presentation party this year was the FanFront, an opportunity for the network's fans to get a sneak peek at the new slate of programs as well as meet casts from shows. The Bacon Brothers band—actor Kevin Bacon and his brother Michael—performed for Fox FanFront attendees.
Following Fox's presentation, media buyers headed to Central Park's Wollman Rink, where they mingled with network execs and talent.
Attendees at the Fox upfront party had plenty of food to choose from, including a retro bakery–style station of desserts. Other activities at the event included photo ops with the casts of shows like New Girl.
ESPN's morning presentation on May 14 took over the Best Buy Theater to reveal a new studio for SportsCenter and other network announcements. Produced by Broadstreet, the event even addressed what ESPN president called "the elephant in the room"—the forthcoming introduction of new rival Fox Sports 1—by having the University of Alabama mascot Al the Elephant join him on stage.
Buoyed by strong ratings—the Spanish language network outperformed broadcast giant NBC in February for viewership among the 18 to 49 audience—Univision returned to the New Amsterdam Theatre for its upfront presentation. Mocking its English-language competitors, the show included playful visuals like oversize children's building blocks, fake snow, and a spoof of AT&T's "more is better" commercial.
The presentation closed out with a performance by Enrique Iglesias that was live streamed to a digital billboard in Times Square.
Following the presentation, guests headed to the luncheon at Espace. The reception focused on Univision's new tagline, "One For All," and included branded catering trays with iPads playing shows, red velvet cake pops in the shape of the network's tulip logo, and a photo booth filled with silly props. One section offered makeovers themed after telenovela personalities.
Shortly after Univision's reception wrapped, Discovery U.S. Hispanic courted buyers at Gotham Hall. The network, which has previously hosted presentations at the Four Seasons restaurant and the TimesCenter, turned the Midtown spot into a theater with vignettes dedicated to this year's theme of "feel."
The "feel"-themed vignettes at Discovery U.S. Hispanic's upfront included a shoe-shine station and a buffet of edible bugs.
ABC once again tapped Jimmy Kimmel to set the tone at its upfront, using the comic banter to entertain the gathered guests at Avery Fisher Hall. The presentation closed with an appearance by Joss Whedon and the cast of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, the buzzy new superhero show slated to debut this fall.
Upfront Week's second day ended with Telemundo's upfront, which took over Jazz at Lincoln Center with a high-energy pitch produced by Ray Bloch Productions. The presentation from the third Spanish-language network that day included pyrotechnic drummers, dramatic lighting, and a Hispanic Hollywood theme.
Telemundo's stage presentation at the Rose Theater included a live vignette from the reality singing competition La Voz Kids.
The design of the stage carried through to the decor in the reception space, where white furnishings and illuminated walls kept the geometric pattern from looking too fussy.
Never one for a formal seated presentation, Adult Swim once again brought media buyers and ad execs to the Roseland Ballroom for a bash that started at 9 p.m. Tongue-in-cheek references to the business-focused nature of upfronts included signage that read, "Tru$t u$ with your $."
The big attraction of Adult Swim's shindig on May 15 was, of course, the headline entertainment. This year the late-night cartoon channel brought in Kanye West, who performed inside a pyramid-shaped set.
TruTV once again used free pedicabs to shuttle guests from the Adult Swim event to Providence for its "Hang After" Party. At the Midtown space projections illuminated the room where guests could grab one of the signature cocktails dreamed up by Los Angeles mixologist Matthew Biancaniello.
Following its morning presentation at New York City Center on May 16, where Icona Pop performed for the crowd, the CW brought guests and the stars of shows like The Vampire Diaries and Arrow to Lower East Side club Finale.
USA Network capped off the Upfront Week festivities with an afternoon presentation at Pier 36. Much like the outing at Alice Tully Hall last year, the affair put talent rather that network executives in the spotlight, using actors from shows to introduce highlight reels and programming. Emceed by the cast of Suits, the show included a Broadway-style song-and-dance number from the cast of Psych.
USA's Thursday-evening gathering took over a nontraditional venue, requiring considerable build-out from the producers at XA. To end the event with a bang, a barge bearing the USA logo docked in the East River was used to stage a fireworks display.
After hosting its upfront in April last year, Oxygen Media moved its outing to February to coincide with the premiere of new modeling competition show The Face. Held February 5 at Marquee, the cocktail reception-style event continued the NBC Universal network's "Live Out Loud" branding by putting an O-shaped arch at the entrance to the nightclub, and gobo projections inside.
Oxygen's brief presentation put the focus on The Face, with appearances by supermodels Naomi Campbell, Karolina Kurkova, and Coco Rocha, as well as photographer Nigel Barker, who were joined on the club's elevated catwalk by a gospel choir that sang "Freedom."
Discovery focused on integrating technology into its April 4 event at Jazz at Lincoln Center with custom highboy tables embedded with iPads and an app created for the upfront. The post-presentation party held more interactive elements, including a tightrope walk in front of a backdrop of the Grand Canyon, as well as an array of food stations that were incorporated into vignettes promoting different networks.
On April 10, Syfy took over Silver Screen Studios, a raw space in Chelsea Piers, where the network put the focus on its new TV show/video game hybrid, Defiance. LeadDog Marketing Group, which has produced the past three upfronts for Syfy, worked on the event, re-creating recognizable pieces from the set including a tree-shaped bar in the center of the room.
In addition to nods from the show, like a replica of the St. Louis arch, Syfy's immersive experience referenced the network's signature purple with lighting, and its "Imagine Greater" tagline with an interactive LED wall that uncovered content as guests walked by.
IFC's upfront on April 11 took over Roseland Ballroom for what it called the "Unexpectaganza," a roller-skating party with activities like a dunking booth and casual snacks like doughnuts and mini grilled-cheese sandwiches. The offbeat event sought to capture the spirit of the network's tagline, "Always On, Slightly Off," as well as its quirky shows.
AMC staged its first upfront on April 17, an immersive tour of shows like Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead set up at the 69th Regiment Armory. Produced by Empire Entertainment, the event saw attendees make "crystal meth" in a makeshift lab, get chased by zombies, and watch auditions.
Last year marked E!'s first time hosting an upfront in New York, and on April 22 the network returned to the city to build on the format and tone set in 2012. For the events team and producer Maggie Swisher of Los Angeles-based Swisher Productions, that meant using the same black-and-white color palette and creating a sophisticated club look inside the Grand ballroom of Manhattan Center Studios.
The stage concept for E!'s outing was inspired by an ultra-modern house in the Hollywood Hills and thus had a more architectural feel, with the graphic elements playing up the brand's patterns. Like the previous year, seating was arranged in lounge groups, with champagne bottle service and plated bites served at each vignette. The presentation transitioned into a party in the same space, an intentional move to keep the vibe celebratory.
Participating in the Digital Content NewFronts for the second year, AOL played up its "Always On" tagline by filling Skylight at Moynihan Station with screens of all kinds to show the different devices its content is available on. Held April 30, the AgencyEA-produced affair also saw graffiti-style branding splashed on illuminated bars and highboy tables as well as pillows on low-rise couches.
With a less serious tone than perhaps the other participants of the NewFronts, Zynga's offbeat party on May 3 entertained guests with three-dimensional versions of its games. Working with MKG, the social gaming brand's event at Openhouse Gallery included a petting zoo with actors dressed as barnyard animals, tablets inviting guests to draw their own drink, and a photo booth backdrop designed to look like Words With Friends. There was even a back room for poker playing.
A&E Television Networks returned to the Tent at Lincoln Center for its May 8 outing, flaunting its successful rise in ratings with a festive presentation and party that put shows in the spotlight. A Bates Motel–themed check in was a nod to A&E's buzzy new drama, a colorful coat check backdrop played up Lifetime's popular show Project Runway, and a bar filled with curios and knickknacks referenced History's hit Pawn Stars.
The entrance to the main reception space held an enormous installation that mixed screens—including one inside a piece that looked like an oversize iPhone—branding, and panels covered in brightly colored flowers.
Like last year, A&E's event played up the television network's signature colors. Pops of pink, blue, orange, and silver added bright hues to the clean design in the tent. To accommodate a large audience in front of the enormous stage set up at the rear of the space, organizers mixed seating arrangements, with rounds in the front for talent and execs, a theater-style layout of chairs in the center, and high-top tables with stools in the back.
Fun, the band currently making the rounds at high-profile events, rounded out A&E's upfront with a lively performance.
