NBCUniversal laid out its upfront meeting plans, scheduling its One24 tech and data conference for March 20 at its 30 Rockefeller Center headquarters and returning to Radio City Music Hall for its upfront presentation on May 13.
Telemundo, NBCU’s Spanish-language business, plans a “celebration” Monday evening after the upfront.
It is noteworthy that despite the shift in TV to streaming and the changses that is bringing to the advertising market, that NBCU continues to hold its upfront presentation in a fairly traditional manner.
Paramount Global, for one, has decided to eschew its Carnegie Hall upfront extravaganza in favor of a series of more intimate meeting with buyers and clients for a second year.
Warner Bros. Discovery, on the other hand, has announced that it will stage a traditional presentation again at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
“NBCUniversal has always put our advertising partners at the center of everything we do,” said Mark Marshall, chairman, NBCUniversal Global Advertising & Partnerships.
“As consumers’ viewing habits continue to shift, the opportunity to connect with audiences across platforms is more valuable than ever. I’m thrilled to spotlight NBCUniversal’s extensive One Platform tech advancements and premium content offerings on two iconic New York City stages for this year’s One24 and Upfront presentations. The announcements we will make will further our commitment to driving the most effective media for our partners,” Marshall said.
The One24 tech presentation will be held at Studio 8H, where Saturday Night Live originates.
A year ago, NBCU’s upfront was spiced up by the sudden departure of ad sales head Linda Yaccarino, who became CEO of X for Elon Musk. Marshall filled in on an interim basis and was later officially put in charge of ad sales.
Last year’s upfront were also marred by the Writers Guild strike. That meant clients had to cross picket lines and actors and actresses did not appear at the usually star-studded events.
