Fox's 2007 upfront party
Photo: Mark Yumkas
Rumors of the WGA strike affecting the TV industry's upfront sales presentations are climaxing today, with CBS Corporation C.E.O. Leslie Moonves telling Advertising Age, “I think we’re all reassessing.” And those reassessments could lead to drastic changes in the week of parties and sales pitches that send media buyers and reporters fluttering around New York each spring.
Moonves's comments come on the heels of NBC Universal C.E.O. Jeff Zucker’s interview with Reuters on Friday, in which he said, "When people say the upfront, there are two things: one is the dog-and-pony show at Radio City, and the second is the way we sell the inventory. The way that we sell the inventory in an upfront selling period is not going to change. Whether we still need to do the dog-and-pony show is completely under review here, and you can look for an announcement on that from us very soon."When Reuters prodded, asking Zucker if that meant the upfront presentations would be nixed in favor of intimate one-on-one meetings with advertisers, Zucker said, “Yes, exactly.”
On Sunday, the Financial Times came out with its own Zucker interview, this time with the C.E.O. saying, “Things like that are all vestiges of an era that’s gone by and won’t return.” Of the strike’s effect on the upfronts, he added, “I think there were a tremendous number of inefficiencies in Hollywood, and it often takes a seismic event to change them, and I think that’s what happened here.”
Variety reported earlier this week that NBC is likely to make an announcement as soon as next week, while ABC is undecided and Fox is likely to once again host its upfront presentation. The magazine went on to suggest that if NBC does scrap its presentation, it might still host a party for advertisers, allowing for “the net’s sales team to schmooze ad buyers, but avoid the expense of renting Radio City.”
With the WGA strike three months deep and network show development waning, many are predicting that there may not be enough shows to preview come May. Beyond that, Advertising Age cites cost and the fact that the upfronts "speak broadly to marketers who want to devise very specific plans" as reasons why networks might consider axing the hoopla.
You can read our archive of Upfront Week coverage—including commentary from media buyers on the effectiveness of the whole thing—here.
Moonves's comments come on the heels of NBC Universal C.E.O. Jeff Zucker’s interview with Reuters on Friday, in which he said, "When people say the upfront, there are two things: one is the dog-and-pony show at Radio City, and the second is the way we sell the inventory. The way that we sell the inventory in an upfront selling period is not going to change. Whether we still need to do the dog-and-pony show is completely under review here, and you can look for an announcement on that from us very soon."When Reuters prodded, asking Zucker if that meant the upfront presentations would be nixed in favor of intimate one-on-one meetings with advertisers, Zucker said, “Yes, exactly.”
On Sunday, the Financial Times came out with its own Zucker interview, this time with the C.E.O. saying, “Things like that are all vestiges of an era that’s gone by and won’t return.” Of the strike’s effect on the upfronts, he added, “I think there were a tremendous number of inefficiencies in Hollywood, and it often takes a seismic event to change them, and I think that’s what happened here.”
Variety reported earlier this week that NBC is likely to make an announcement as soon as next week, while ABC is undecided and Fox is likely to once again host its upfront presentation. The magazine went on to suggest that if NBC does scrap its presentation, it might still host a party for advertisers, allowing for “the net’s sales team to schmooze ad buyers, but avoid the expense of renting Radio City.”
With the WGA strike three months deep and network show development waning, many are predicting that there may not be enough shows to preview come May. Beyond that, Advertising Age cites cost and the fact that the upfronts "speak broadly to marketers who want to devise very specific plans" as reasons why networks might consider axing the hoopla.
You can read our archive of Upfront Week coverage—including commentary from media buyers on the effectiveness of the whole thing—here.
