Have We Seen the Last of Upfront Week?

The cancellations this week of two Upfront season events -- one by Fox News, the other by Freewheel – has everyone wondering about the impact of the Coronavirus crisis on the Upfront/NewFront/NowFront/BrandFront season to come.  (Let’s just call it the Upfront for now.)  Will this be the first Upfront in decades to proceed without benefit of fancy presentations and lavish parties?  And, if networks and digital companies succeed in getting their messages across and generating business anyway, will they return to established habits next year?

My answers are, “I hope so” and “I hope not,” respectively.  While I do see some value to the industry’s tradition of Upfront extravaganzas, especially the parties -- as I explained in great detail in my 2019 Upfront Week analysis -- I do think it’s time for a change.  I’ve thought that for quite a while.

I’m not really pointing to events produced by basic cable networks, because most of those tend to take place before Upfront Week in May.  I have always found them useful, in that they tend to be structured more as parties than proper presentations, and they allow greater access for advertisers, marketers and members of the press to engage with executives and talent.  With competition for everyone’s attention at a fever pitch, sometimes a simple party is the best way to generate awareness where it counts.

Among the present-day disappointments of Upfront season is the fact that many of the best cable events from years past have been folded into giant presentations by their parent companies, and many get lost in the largesse.  I miss the Bravo, Freeform and IFC Upfront events, to name three.  They were comparatively smallish but very impactful, especially for the press, and their talent seemed to enjoy them, too.  (Bravo outdid itself in 2011 by turning its Upfront event in New York City into a dinner in a downtown loft on the night of that year’s Top Chef: All-Stars finale.  Simulataneous events were held in Chicago and Los Angeles.  Guests were served dishes by the final two competitors while the pre-taped finale was telecast.  Live remotes from all three events were incorporated into the telecast.  Then, after the winner was announced, the NYC event became part of the fun on a live telecast of Watch What Happens Live! )

Meanwhile, Upfront week, which once upon a time was home to events produced by CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox only (and before they merged into The CW, to The WB and UPN), is now a mad marathon of broadcast and cable network presentations that leaves everyone exhausted and cranky at the last.

As my readers know, I have been covering Upfront events for the better part of three decades, for most of that time with genuine interest and enthusiasm.  But in recent years, not so much.  Unlike the events of the ‘90s and the early 2000s (and the ‘80s, from what I hear), those of the last couple of years have seemed relatively pointless.  That’s because anyone who pays attention to the internet, social media and various video platforms – which would be all of us – now knows almost everything there is to know about almost everything that is included in these presentations before they enter the showplaces in which they are held.  Any missing bits of information are easily absorbed within a day or two of being made public.

Decades ago, people walked into those very showplaces filled with eager anticipation of what they might see, hear and learn.  They were informative and full of surprises, and if you were in the room you were among the first to know about any of it.  Sometimes, not even the host company’s top executives knew what was going to happen (like at the NBC Upfront/Affiliates Meeting combo event in 1991, when Johnny Carson took the stage at Carnegie Hall to thunderous applause -- only to cause widespread heart-failure backstage when he casually announced his retirement, which was not in the script).

Today, we attend for whatever entertainment the host company has arranged on stage, and for the breathtaking jumbotron-size video displays that promote the company’s new and returning programs.  It’s great glitz and glamour.  It makes a big, albeit brief, impact.  But as for the important stuff, we really do not need to be there, do we?  In fact, we can’t even count on meeting anyone.  CBS, Fox and Telemundo still throw amazing parties after their presentations, and Univision produces a series of amazing immersive events, but NBCU, The Walt Disney Company and others do not.

Right now, the important thing is that everyone remains as safe as possible as the Coronavirus continues its sweep around much of the globe, and coast to coast here in North America.  Heaven forbid it intensifies or mutates along the way.  If there is great danger in large gatherings, especially in major cities, then the networks and other media companies that have planned Upfront season extravaganzas should indeed consider cancelling.  And if that results in this being the end of Upfront largesse and the introduction of a new approach to doing business, so be it.

Everything else about the television business has changed to keep up with the times.  It won’t be the end of everything if the mechanics of the Upfront do, too.

Be sure to check the MediaVillage Upfront/NewFront calendar throughout the day for the latest additions and cancellations. 

Click the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleagues.

The opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author and/or subject(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com/MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated writers.