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With upfront week presentations giving way to a wave of negotiations, ADWEEK continues our postmortem sit-downs with the presenting ad sales leaders.
Following our conversation with NBCU’s Mark Marshall, next up is Jeff Collins, president of advertising sales, marketing and brand partnerships for Fox Entertainment. This is Collins’ first time leading the Fox upfront after taking over for a retiring Marianne Gambelli earlier this year.
Fox’s upfront presentation from New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday showcased the diversity of the company’s 2024 offerings, with tentpoles including presidential election coverage, Major League Baseball’s upcoming Negro League tribute game, Big Noon college football coverage, Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The company paired those announcements with talent including Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Erin Andrews, Deion Sanders and Gus Johnson.
Following the event, Collins spoke with ADWEEK about the early demand for Super Bowl 59, which is reportedly going for at least $7 million per 30-second ad; how the company is approaching election opportunities in a divisive political climate; and what it was like to lead Fox’s upfront for the first time.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
ADWEEK: How was your first time leading the upfront as Fox’s ad sales president?
Jeff Collins: I’m incredibly proud of our team. The client feedback that we’ve received so far has been very strong. I thought the program was very entertaining, but also with a lot of substance, and I think it really demonstrated the full power of all of our brands together and the world-class talent that we have.
The upfront made a point of connecting each element of the portfolio either through transitions or talent. What were you trying to show buyers?
There are a lot of natural connections in our portfolio, so I think the strategy this year was to demonstrate those natural touch points and then show advertisers how they can capitalize on that.