Simon's Upfront Reviews: Univision, Telemundo, ESPN, NCM and More

The rundown on four of them follows along with reviews of the Upfront presentations from ESPN cable nets NCM and selected broadcast networks Read all my Newfront and Upfront reviews hereUnivision 5 jacksVenue New Amsterdam Theater off Times Square home to the Tonywinning Broadway musical Newsies Univision has made this place upfront home the last three years Easy to see why gorgeous space easy to see from anywhere and brightly lit stage Grade 5 JacksPresentation It takes skill to address multiple topics in a single bound and make the whole come across so entertaining For Univision the topics in no particular orderreward increased viewership on its flagship channel with more advertiser support spread the wealth to a variety of networks showcase ways to reach Englishspeaking Latinos such as the upcoming Fusion channel coowned with ABC and programming ventures with Participant Media39s millennialtargeting Pivot network and VEVO and promote new shows for all its Spanishspeaking services If that39s not enough parlay the quotfailure taxquot mantra espoused by AampampE39s event the week before into quotWhy pay more for lessquotadvertisers spending more upfront money for underachievingunderperforming channels All were addressed in a variety of effective ways from a building blocks demo by executive vice president Steve Mandela to chief executive officer Randy Falco starring in a mock ATampampT quotIt39s Not Complicatedquot message where kids talk back to a questioner quotLess is not more no matter how you present itquot Mandela added Entertaining exclamation points came from dance group Illuminate doing a hiphop routine to The Wanted39s hit quotGlad You Camequot in neon suits and pop star Enrique Iglesias although he looked upset with the balcony patrons now and then Grade 5 JacksNews El Rey Network the upcoming channel from filmmaker Robert Rodriguez and Factory Made Ventures will get a strategic investment from Univision plus the company will serve as El Rey39s ad and affiliate sales force The channel will move up its scheduled premiere from early 2014 to this December with Comcast systems on board under that company39s diversity network initiative Rodriguez made a surprise appearance at the event to disclose all that news plus two original drama series a From Dusk till Dawn adaptation and an actionadventure hour from FringeHawaii FiveO producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci Separately a new Flama unit will create original Web and smartTV content aimed at millennials Flama39s first programs will premiere this fall including Salseras VEVO39s first scripted series Another quick note Univision will launch Va Por TiGo For It a competition series to crown a new Latin music superstar Grade 5 JacksHost Solid smooth performance by Univision president Cesar Conde and his executive colleagues Grade 45 JacksOverall Grade 5 Jacks Home run on every levelformat message delivery inventiveness and getting it all across in just over an hourTelemundo 5 jacksVenue One more time for Jazz At Lincoln Center39s Rose Hall near Columbus Circleundisputed king of 2013 event locales As always the technical crew there powerfully set things up for the audience Here it39s having Telemundo39s quotTquot logo front center and towering above the stage with monitors and spotlights on either side Bravo to this bunch for excellent work all upfront season long Grade 5 JacksPresentation Candidate for most improved of any upfront this year With thennew president Emilio Romano Telemundo39s offering last May was somewhat rough on both focus and pizazz Not this time around A bright songanddance opening to a programming montage opened things up while Romano and his executive colleagues shaped their points better declaring their net as the fastestgrowing regardless of language More than 1000 hours of new content this season ahead plus 2014 Winter Olympics coverage and exclusive Spanishlanguage World Cup competition post2015 will keep the mo up quotDavid is hot on the heels of Goliathquot Romano boomed So did the entertainment provided by eightyearold La Voz Kids contestant Fatima and superstar Marc Anthony Anthony his backup band singers and lighting crew electrify Grade 5 JacksNews Ryan Seacrest will coproduce Superstar Showdown where two top music talents compete against each other in battle royale fashion Miss Latina USA gives women from across the country the chance for automatic entry in the Miss Universe beauty pageant coowned by Donald Trump Among five new telenovelas coming this summer and fall Dama Y ObreroLady And The Worker the network39s first Los Angelesproduced drama with race relations among the issues explored Other developments Entre Grandes Y ChicosKids Vs Grownups a rolereversal daytime game show weekly latenight sports roundup Titulares y MasHeadlines and More expands to weeknights and Al Rojo Vivo anchorperson Maria CelesteArraras joins Noticiero Telemundo early weeknights as coanchor alongside JoseDiaz Balart Grade 45 JacksHost La Voz Kids cohost Daisy Fuentes returning to Telemundo two decades after her breakthrough network turn on MTV Internacional let it ripfun gracious charming and still with a touch of spunk after all these years quotThis is what we dream about succeeding in America by being exactly who we arequot she chimed Grade 5 JacksOverall Grade 5 Jacks Wellbalanced and focused effort by all involved If there were any rough spots you had to look extremely hard to spot themNuvo TV 4 jacksVenue Edison Ballroom on W 47 St complete with marquee above the front door As people arrived at their seats a quotWe Are Itquot video played on a screen stage center Grade 4 JacksPresentation Overwhelmingly in stark contrast to the majority of upfront gatherings all season long Nuvo went sermonette in its approach out to make case after case why ad dollars should go to an Englishlanguage service targeting Latinos This could have come off as giving attendees castor oil or verbal spanking for past behavior Due to the passionate rhetoric from Jennifer Lopez named chief creative officer just before last week39s event chief executive officer Michael Schwimmer and ad sales chief Craig Geller that was largely not the case quotGrowing up I saw Marcia Brady Rudy Huxtablebut I didn39t see mequot Lopez explained quotNow I39m in a position to do something about it The goal is to make this network a major player in for the long haul showcasing us 37 million Latinos with English their language preference and rising without stereotypesquot Adds Geller quotWhether you believe it or not there39s a segment of the Latino market you39re not effectively reachingquot Still it39s not too late to be involved in a marketplace spending upwards of 11 trillion a year Grade 35 JacksNews Twelve series will debut over the next year starting with Gotta Dance nonfiction series about professional backup dancers Oribe profile of hairstylist Oribe Canales and Rodney39s Joy focusing on Grammywinning music producer Rodney Jenkins and wife Joy Extra and One On One host Mario Lopez will develop a new series format to be determined LEG Productions will supply 30 hours of original comedy material while comedian Gabriel Iglecias develops Hey I39m Fluffy an animated series Scripted comedy and drama series are anticipated to launch next year 2015 at the latest Grade 4 JacksHost Jennifer Lopez was engaging throughout with Mario Lopez making a nice contribution down the stretch via a sitdown segment with J Lo and Schwimmer Grade 45 JacksOverall Grade 4 Jacks With one of the most anticipated showcases of last week Nuvo rolled the dice on its approach and carried it offTr3s 4 jacksVenue Webster Hall the famous rock and pop showplace near Union Square The main hall was turned into a circus with acrobats fire eaters and hulahoop twirlers on stage a woman on stilts walking through the crowd popcorn machine to one side and big bar for a big top in the back Let39s not forget the bellydancecostumed woman holding a wellbehaved boa constrictor Shades of that BBC America spectacle last spring with the white pythonholding females Such a good time people didn39t mind waiting until after 930 pm for the main attraction Grade 5 JacksPresentation Throw out the speeches and executive pitches bring out the entertainment and clips That39s this channel39s MO sticking with the setting by featuring talent from the upcoming series Familia de CircoCircus Family Two members of the brother act running this traveling show introduced some videos and circus talent for a 15minute stretch then turned everything over to Daddy Yankee and his own dance carnival for a halfhour of reggaeton on high Daddy was dandyvery dandy Grade 45 JacksNews Expect more than 300 hours of original seriesspecials in the year ahead including casinoset novela Fortuna the music tour showcaseEn Tour and EmpujeDrive a series on health and fitness problems among Latino millennials Grade 35 JacksHost That pair of circus family showrunners stole the show especially Jose Alberto He39s one very cool customer Grade 45 JacksOverall Grade 4 Jacks Pure entertainment pure fun time for all presentamp160ESPN 4 jacksVenue Best Buy Theater on W 44th St off Broadway not so long ago a popular stage for upfront events In previous years ESPN converted the insides to a minifootball stadium and SportsCenter studio Last week over an egg muffinfeatured breakfast team mascots and the Brooklyn Nets cheerleaders hobnobbed with guests Grade 45 Jacks Presentation Adopting an quotevery day is game dayquot approach network hosts and executives stressed the ability to provide maximum coverage of most major sports from football to what the world sees as football soccer President John Skipper heralded the recent deal to launch a national channel of Southeastern Conference sports fall 2014 quotas having the hallmark of everything we doquot Irreverency also figured along the way from Skipper39s address to quotthe elephant in the roomquot next to the University of Alabama39s elephant mascot to deadpan Kenny Mayne39s questioning of Times Square tourists about upfront sales In other segments SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris questioned sponsor executives about their multiapproach campaigns such as Subway39s quotFresh Takequot Sister net ESPN Deportes picked up some extra love from a spot of Latino sports fan researchGrade 45 JacksNews The big news from ESPN last weekfull coverage of the US Open tennis tournament launching in 2015 replacing CBS on semifinalsfinalsdidn39t break in time for this event Both ESPN and ESPN2 will launch one daily series in August NFL Insiders on football and ESPNFC for soccer respectively More 30 for 30 documentaries will arrive on ESPN in October and by next spring SportsCenter and most studio programs will originate from a new 10000foot digital facility in Bristol Connecticut Grade 3 JacksHost Neil Everett and Stan Verrett SportsCenter39s overnight pair from Los Angeles kept things cool collected and sharp Let them lead the way every year Grade 45 Jacks Overall Grade 4 Jacks No lack of material to highlight and no lack of sports celebs to bring on stageSan Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan for startersNCM Media Networks 4 jacksVenue The everclassy AMC Lincoln Square multiplex on Broadway near Lincoln Center The seats are plush the decor39s attractive Plus there39s a plentiful supply of soda and popcorn for all comers Preshow entertainment upcoming movie posters flashed on the screen to film soundtracks Grade 45 JacksPresentation At rival Screenvision39s offering two weeks earlier the focus was on giving sponsors a streamlined way to buy incinema ad campaigns taking some cues from TV practices like dayparting and seasonality With NCM short for National CineMedia whose prefeature quotFirst Lookquot mix of ads and vignettes play in over 19300 screens this event with quotThe Bigger Picturequot tag line was all about offering more ad opportunities and more unique as in 3D ad opportunities Indeed 3D figured in a candidate for most dramatic upfront demonstration of 2013 After the audience watched 3D Taco Bell and Nissan ads followed by a trailer from the upcoming movie Gravity a public service spot for stray animal care ran on the screen During that spot guests were invited to switch from one pair of 3D glasses to another throughout Each pair corresponded to a different picture onscreenboth matched to the same soundtrack One picture followed a dog getting care at a local hospital the other walking around a wasteland If this process gets perfected there may be an opportunity for both 3D movie and TV ventures Just like Screenvision39s appeal NCM at times doubled as ode for more movie attendance offered by company executives movie critic Jeffrey Lyons and director Guillermo DelToro previewing footage from his summer entry Pacific Rim One sidetrack comedian Colin Quinn39s monologue after an executive heckling routine Raunchy in many spots despite some funny material Grade 4 JacksNews Entertainment Weekly magazine will produce a new red carpet segment for First Look with editor Jess Cagle on site at blockbuster movie premieres First Look itself will develop fiveminute editions for online mobile and smart TV display and introduce an onscreen vignette on Twitter reaction to the latest flicks Separately a new Foursquare mobile app will follow local theatre attractions and searchtransaction functionalities Grade 35 JacksHost Enjoyable passion displayed by salesmarketing president Cliff Marks with nice contribution by the alwaysinformativeentertaining Lyons Grade 35 JacksOverall Grade 4 Jacks That 3D spot demo elevated this event to another level leading you to believe 510 years from now being there was being at the birthplace of an exciting content or advertising realityUSA Network 5 jacksVenue A grand place was selected for the grand finale of upfront event season 2013Pier 36 on South Street near the Williamsburg Bridge GoogleYouTube had their Newfront event here three weeks earlier and it39s easy to see why This is one gigantic space with half set aside for the presentation half for the afterparty and this half has an outdoor patio along the East River The presentation stage was as wide as what people see on major award ceremonies with screens to the right left and center of attendees Outside Twitter users could stand behind the press and tweet endlessly as celebrities walked the red carpet One afterparty delicacy people couldn39t get enough of mushroom toast Grade 5 JacksPresentation The network is ready to expand beyond its core quotblue skiesquot kind of original programming and boldly go into other directionscomedy gritty drama and reality That was one of three points USA39s effort emphasized Second when Modern Family reruns arrive this fall we39re going to make the most of it Cocreator Steven Levitan served up a video of what the series would be like if it was produced on cable creatively unleashed In a nutshell the video didn39t disappoint Third happy end to upfront season quotWe want to thank you for sitting in your 49th darkened theaterquot one presenter noted near the end serving notice upfront season 2014 starts X amount of hours from now For two kickers the entire Psych cast performed a micromusical of their series and The Choir39s host quotconductedquot a rendition of Carly Rae Jepsen39s hit quotGood Timequot from splitscreen videos of USA show casts and employees Grade 5 JacksNews At least seven series will launch on USA over the next year two each in comedy drama and reality Sirens and Playing House are the comedies The Arrangement and Horizon the dramas and the new reality trio consists of The Choir Summer Camp and Partners In Crime Grade 5 JacksHost Just like sister NBC Universal net Syfy oncamera talent gets the majority of host timein this case cast members of popular drama Suits Unflappable to the last second Grade 5 JacksOverall Grade 5 Jacks In every wayentertainment value pace approach to the message news and venuethis hit the markABC 45 jacksVenue Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center as serene and classy a space you can get Don39t look for frills glitzy screens set designs and wall effects when you come here Substance demonstrated on stage rules Grade 5 JacksPresentation Off the bat it appeared everyone was in for an extended Jimmy Kimmel Live celebration with primetime the afterthought Kimmel and DisneyABC president Anne Sweeney headlined the opening segment spoofing Scandal then Sweeney live on stage begins with quotYou know what looks so good Jimmy Kimmel at 1135 pmquot A heartfelt salute to Barbara Walters39 retirement from ABC followed with an extended standing ovation from the audience and launch news on a TV Everywhere rollout Just when you thought otherwise Sweeney and ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee put primetime front and center insisting the season ahead will take creative gambles quotIf you don39t take risks you don39t act boldly you39ll never do something measurablequot Sweeney added Kimmel returned more than midway through the primetime showcase to offer his annual upfront monologue Grade 45 JacksNews Tuesday nights will be allnew this fall comprising of Marvel39s Agents of SHIELD backtoback comedies The Goldbergs and Trophy Wife and lottery drama Lucky 7 Rebel Wilsonstarring Super Fun Night gets the coveted postModern Family slot Wednesday nights and in a fun touch Wilson introduced her show39s clip reading from prepared notes quotThis is the antiSex ampamp The Cityquot she said quotDon39t worry I won39t be doing a Lena Dunhamquot referring to the Girls costarcreator Once Upon A Time39s Wonderland spinoff leads off Thursday nights Midseason newbies include Resurrection and Mind Games No 10 pm drama switcheroo39s here Grade 5 JacksHost Lee moves the proceedings along with charm ease and aplomb Grade 45 JacksOverall Grade 45 Jacks Despite much more Jimmy Kimmel than normal almost to the point of overshadowing primetime the message came throughbetter primetime ratings will be driven by more creative chancesBefore moving on as a public service some choice lines from Jimmy Kimmel39s upfront summation at ABC39s eventquotIt39s time to stop calling this an upfront and start calling it what it really is Throwing a bunch of at a wall to see what sticks And guess what You guys are the wallquotquotThe reason we39re here is because you are about to invest billions of dollars in a network that rolled a 400pound comedian off a diving board last weekquotquotOne of the shows previewed today was written by a thirdgrade class Your challenge tonight is to figure out which one it wasquotquotNBC actually finished behind Univision this year and they have an interesting strategy for next yearoppose immigration reform By the way how does it work at the Univision upfront Do they lie to you in SpanishquotquotCBS has a new show premiering at the end of the month called The American Baking Challenge That39ll get the kids to put down their IPhonesquotquotIf you39re not advertising on Shark Tank you39re missing a golden opportunity to connect with the highly desirable lonely failed inventor demographicquotquotThe thing that39s important to remember is that last year NBC made a show starring a monkey Animal Practice and a lot of you bought advertising on it So clearly none of us have any idea what we39re doingquotThe CW 45 jacksVenue The always opulent intimate City Center on W 55th St home to this network39s event for the second year Welcoming everyone The DollsMia on DJ turntable and Caitlin on electronic violin playing to technopop tunes for more than a halfhour Got a nice ovation from the crowd Grade 5 Jacks Presentation CW has a penchant for leading off their show with a music star and memorable tune of the moment Think Katy Perry several years ago with quotCalifornia Girlsquot or Flo Rida last May with quotGood Feelingquot Duo Icona Pop had their turn last week with a salty version of quot I Don39t Carequot We won39t get into how salty Then right into the schedule and clips Big point CW embraced multiplatform TVonlinemobile before multiplatform was cool reminded president Mark Pedowitz Combined ratings from all three mediums matter and despite being last among the major Englishlanguage broadcast networks in ratings that insistence continues For example touting The Vampire Diaries as the 1 broadcast scripted series in social media feedback One thing CW does better than others with their showcase is give stars of their new shows stage time not face time from their seats The stars return the favor by keeping the forced patter down Grade 45 JacksNews Three new series premiere this fall Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals Tuesdays The Tomorrow People on Wednesdays and Reign Thursdays Tomorrow is a millennialtailored revival of the Nickelodeon series presented in the 1980s and 90s while Reign dramatizes Mary Queen of Scots Nikita takes a final sixepisode run later this fall while StarCrossed The 100 andFamous in 12 join the lineup next winter or spring Also CW is launching a quotSeedquot Websmart TV place for comedies and experimental formats Grade 45 JacksHost You always sense Pedowitz relishes the chance to speak out about his channel39s programming A seizetheday kind of presenter Grade 4 JacksOverall Grade 45 Jacks Vim is in when The CW take the stage with its showcase Ditto the funky music leadinsNBC 4 jacksVenue Radio City Music Hall near NBC39s 30 Rock headquarters one of the great entertainment showplaces of this nation After a year away The RootsJimmy Fallon39s house bandcame back to deliver the pre and postceremony entertainment They demonstrated again why they rock every night on TV and why they should move over with Fallon to The Tonight Show next February Unfortunately thanks to Music Hall security setting up two checkpoints outside one for bags the other for electronic patdowns the line to get in extended down W 50th St and around the corner on 5th Ave Result many people were scrambling to their seats as the presentation started Embarrassing Grade 4 JacksPresentation Acknowledging that his network had quota rollercoasterquot of a 201213 season as in sensational fall largely due to Sunday Night Football and The Voice followed by disappointing new series in absentia of SNL and The Voice NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt promised the crowd quota strong 52 weeks ahead of usquot generated by new series and 2014 Winter Olympics coverage from Sochi Russia His point was seconded or serenaded take your pick by Fallon and outgoing Tonight host Jay Leno in a spoof of Les Miserables39 tune quotOne Day Morequot A rare deviation from making points through executive remarks and sizzle reels Meantime for the second straight year the video crew responsible for images on the wide screen above the stage did not have their act together at crucial spots The spots last year musical numbers from The Voice and Smash This year not one one picture of NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke or latenightalternative TV chief Paul Telegdy during their remarks They and people in back of the hall or the mezzanine levels deserve better Grade 4 JacksNews Half of the dozen new series coming to the network this season ahead will premiere this fall the other half in 2014 largely after the Olympics Notable among the fall newbies The Michael J Fox Show with Fox making his series return as a local news anchorperson and The Blacklist starring James Spader in a Hannibal Lectertype turn Another notable tacticfrom both NBC and CBS switched time periods for 10 pm dramas Revolution moves from Mondays to leading off Wednesdays Chicago Fire from Wednesday to Tuesdays at 10 and Parenthood from Tuesdays to Thursdays at 10 Crossbones the pirate drama introduced at last year39s upfront finally gets to be seen next year Fridays at 10 Special note in yet another video snafu someone forgot to run a Crossbones clip reel Two dates to remember September 9 for the twoweek Million Second Quiz and December 5 for the live production of The Sound of Music with Carrie Underwood Grade 5 JacksHost Greenblatt Salke and Telegdy handled their respective portions well Grade 4 JacksOverall Grade 4 Jacks Solid effort upended by security delays then video crew irregularities Without both a halfjack increaseThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Simon's Upfront Reviews: Univision, Telemundo, ESPN, NCM and More

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