A+E Scores With Its Three-Network Upfront Showcase

The Big Messageamp160 All three networks will doubledown on their current formats both in the amount of original content they produce and acquire and the diversity of the talent providing that content For AampampE that content will include an increase in documentaries biography specials and lifestyle series Unscripted series and hybrid unscriptedscripted events will continue to be The HISTORY Channel39s stockintrade while Lifetime will continue offering a mix of madeforTV movies and sliceoflife unscripted series During the 202122 season several AampampE The HISTORY Channel and Lifetime projects will be multiplatform in nature following their linear presentations with smart TVdistributed features podcasts and local outreach Advertisers and agencies will be pitched quottotal audiencequot opportunities that appeal to the widest variety of viewersHosts Paul Buccieri pictured at top AE Networks Group President and Peter Olsen Advertising Sales President Buccieri opened the presentation while Olsen handled the closing segment Both executives lauded an expanded commitment to diversity on and offscreen with Olsen adding that linear TV quotremains the superior medium for building brands and generating salesquotWhat Worked A halfhour presentation that didn39t feel rushed to touch every base and turned most of the time over to notable people making the content from Morgan Freeman to former President Bill Clinton Near the end we got our first musical performance of this Upfront season from Danielle Brooks the Grammywinning singeractress who portrays gospel music legend Mahalia Jackson in a Lifetime original movie set to premiere April 3 Her performance came with eyepleasing visuals that went from blackandwhite at the start to crisp color before the final notesWhat Also Worked Giving viewers a second halfhour to hear more from celebrities associated with AampampE Lifetime or HISTORY Channel programming Thanks to some clever Zoomlike technology groups of viewers had 10 minutes to hobnob with each guest or guests in rotation amp8211 and if they wished speak up and ask questions Ad sales executives moderated the sessions and did an impressive job I was able to converse with Tim Allen and Richard Karn about their new History series Assembly Required Putting that series together amid pandemic circumstances where the subjects were homebound was quotlife imitating artquot Allen saidWhat Didn39t Work Lack of information about Lifetime39s upcoming lineup of madeforTV movies apart from Mahalia Very surprising given the big investment the network has in them and to have more of them created produced and directed by womenData Points All three networks rank among the top 20 channels in viewership among adults 2554 One more factoid about Lifetime39s pool of original movies 67 percent are now produced by women with larger percentages directing and onscreenNews More than 2500 hours of original content will premiere on The HISTORY Channel Lifetime or AampampE this upcoming season including 70 hours of documentaries and 200plus madeforTV filmsThe HISTORY Channel39s new slate includes separate multinight hybrid miniseries devoted to Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt Great Escapes a weekly depiction of notorious prison breaks and the hunt for escapees hosted and produced by Freeman and a sixhour miniseries on US presidents that Clinton will host and coexecutive produce Expect several spinoff series from current Sunday night attraction The Food That Built AmericaAt AampampE look for a trio of special event series Right to Offend covering the history of US protests Secret Origins of HipHop anthology featuring rap pioneers and Janet Jackson a multihour biography simulcast on Lifetime The network39s HomeMade lifestyle series daypart will be expanded with 90hours plus of new contentBeyond madeforTV movies Lifetime will introduce several unscripted offshoots of longrunning favorite Married at First Sight plus a live special originating from Times Square in New YorkParting Words quotWe believe in the power of working with talented creators names you know and names you will know Their collective talent builds brands Our goal is to create content with purpose as well as entertainmentquot Paul BuccieriquotThe HISTORY Channel is a home for the curious a destination for the adventurousquot Morgan FreemanquotI try to find the one nugget of why should I care and the viewer should care I want to be invested in the storyquot I Survived a Crime host and ABC News correspondent Gio Benitez during one of his meetandgreet sessionsquotIt felt like a nobrainer for me If I have to play any legend it had to be Mahaliaquot Danielle Brooks during another virtual meetandgreetClick 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

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

A+E Scores With Its Three-Network Upfront Showcase

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

Simon Applebaum

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

A+E Scores With Its Three-Network Upfront Showcase

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Simon Applebaum

TAGS:

Cookies