As the big upfront week presentations finally give way to behind-the-scenes bargaining, ADWEEK holds its postmortem conversations with those leading the industry’s ad sales.
First up was NBCUniversal. Now, it’s Fox’s turn, as—coming off a year that included the most-watched Super Bowl ever and Fox News soaring in ratings—ads chief Jeff Collins steered his company’s event through a diverse array of sports, digital, news, and entertainment offerings.
The Fox upfront presentation from New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday looked into the cornerstones of its strength, including Tubi programming like Sidelined 2: Intercepted and Breaking Bear, aimed squarely at younger viewers. Meanwhile, Fox News segments focused as much on the guests in the interview chair as the reporters asking questions, and the company showcased growing sports offerings, including the 2026 World Cup, an NFL Week 16 doubleheader just before the holidays, and IndyCar coverage just before the Indianapolis 500.
In addition, Fox peppered its announcements with appearances from stars including Michael Strahan, Erin Andrews, Brendan Fraser, Annie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, and Rob Lowe.
After the event, Collins spoke with ADWEEK about demand for Fox’s expanded NFL lineup, its interview-focused approach to selling Fox News, and the strategy behind taking Tubi to both upfronts and NewFronts.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
ADWEEK: Fox is airing 11 NFL doubleheaders in 2025, including one during Week 16 on December 20. With 31 NFL broadcast windows in total, can you tell us what buyer demand has looked like for the NFL and if there will be any digital/shoppable ad inventory for the pre-holiday Week 16 slate?
Collins: NFL continues to see very healthy demand across the marketplace. We saw that demand last year in the upfront in scatter, and now we’re seeing that again in this year’s upfront market. I think that’s partially driven by the fact that it’s just increasingly rare to be able to find those mass audiences anywhere these days. The NFL, on a consistent basis on a Sunday, is drawing over 20 million viewers.
In terms of specific executions for Week 16, we’re still working on that, so we don’t have a whole lot to report yet. But, suffice it to say, you should be seeing some interesting things.
