The TV upfront, the annual advertising showcase where the major publishers show off their latest shiny wares, isn’t going anywhere, according to media buyers. But that doesn’t mean this year wasn’t a whole new ballgame … or football game, rather.
From sports driving commitments, Disney having its first Super Bowl in decades, an influx of streaming supply, and increasingly complex deals, it wasn’t your typical upfront.
“For years, everyone said the upfront’s dead or going to die,” one buyer told ADWEEK. “It’s going to continue to exist. But it is very different, and in some ways a lot more complicated.”
