4 Trends to Watch During TV Upfront Season

“More and more of our conversations are rooted in, instead of Adults 25 to 54, it’s show me your in-market auto intenders. Show me your first-time home buyers. Show me the chief household officer who you know manages grocery lists,” Ryan Gould, president of ad sales and client partnerships, Warner Bros. Discovery, said.

Harnessing fandom for brand-om

In a fragmented marketplace, fandom drives eyeballs and consumer sentiment, and publishers are all-in.

“Fandom is what our movies drive, what our sports drive, our shows,” Ferro told us, noting that Disney built its whole presentation around fandom as a theme.

Throughout the upfront events, companies such as Disney, Netflix, and Amazon pitched ways to get brands closer to the content, whether that’s through new offerings like AI integrating brands into the worlds of shows or custom campaigns built around IP.

Look for that trend to continue as the lines between content and commercial blur.

“Custom creative and brand partnerships are a significant part of our upfront deals for brands that want to go beyond the spot and become part of the content itself,” Alan Moss, Amazon vp of global ad sales, recently said.