Fox said it will be holding its 2023-24 upfront presentation in person on May 15, the Monday of upfront week.
While that has been Fox’s traditional time period, Fox said the event will be innovative, showcasing all of the company’s TV and streaming assets for media buyers and clients.
After two years of holding virtual upfronts online because of the pandemic, networks in 2022 mostly returned to giving familiar, in-person upfront presentations.
Last year, CBS parent Paramount Global announced that it would be abandoning CBS’s traditional Wednesday night event at Carnegie Hall in favor of a series of smaller events.
But most other programmers — NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery — announced plans to hold large-scale, in-person events like Fox.
“In a time of such complexity, strength, strategic focus and stability are the foundational elements that lead to success,“ Fox president of advertising sales Marianne Gambelli said. “Fox’s advantage is our ability to focus on what matters most — our advertising partners — and delivering for them, and our viewers, the best content across the industry’s leading sports, entertainment, news and streaming platforms.
“For this year’s upfront, we are hosting an in-person event — complete with a new venue and format — to connect with our clients in the most meaningful way, by showcasing the value of Fox’s best-in-class portfolio and its ability to innovate and engage with a wide array of consumers,” she said.
Each of Fox’s individual business units will engage the market pre-upfront with focused presentations. The first meeting was held in Arizona during Super Bowl weekend featuring chef Gordon Ramsay, Joel McHale of Fox series Animal Control and Crime Scene Kitchen, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade, president of scripted programming Michael Thorn and executive VP of ad sales Suzanne Sullivan. ■
