The Walt Disney Co. and ViacomCBS said they plan to hold upfront presentations for advertisers in their traditional May time slots, although this year they will be held virtually.
Last year’s in-person upfront events were canceled and replaced by digital events by the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic, and the recession it caused, led to upfront deals for this broadcast year not being reached until September--just before the start of the fall season.
WarnerMedia earlier announced it will have an upfront event for its kids and family buisness on Feb. 17. A+E said it will have its upfront event on March 3. Both of those events will be virtual.
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Disney Advertising Sales will have a unified upfront event in May that will represent its entire video portfolio.
Disney brands represented include ABC, ABC News, Disney Channels Worldwide, Disney Digital, ESPN Networks, ESPN Plus, Freeform, FX Networks, Hulu and National Geographic Networks.
Hulu, which had previously held an event for advertisers during the Newfronts at the Hulu Theater, will no longer have a standalone event.
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Disney’s upfront will be preceded by a Disney Platform Technology Showcase on Feb. 23 for advertising clients. The event will highlight data-driven precision advertising, new ways of measuring advertising, premium ad experiences and updated transaction technology.
NBCU recently announced a similar developer event, called One21, which will be held March 22. NBCU is also expected to have an upfront event, but it hasn’t announced its plans for that event.
On March 23 Disney will have a development event to showcase upcoming programming.
ViacomCBS confirmed that it is having an upfront event on May 19 at which all of the company’s networks will be represented.
