How are World Cup conversations going, and what does early interest look like?
Very strong so far. We created early conversations that we’re having with a lot of clients that are looking to come in now and do multiyear deals to be able to lock in some of that premium inventory. We have a lot of clients very interested in our Summer of Soccer with Copa [America] and [UEFA] Euro [2024]. So we feel very good about the demand that we’re seeing in that space as well. With a lot of great storylines coming off such an amazing World Cup, we feel really good about where viewership levels are going to be.
In 2023, 10 of the top 20 television broadcasts in the U.S. were Fox NFL showings. The top non-NFL sports broadcast was the Ohio State-Michigan football game on Fox. While the Fox upfront displayed the entire portfolio, did sports’ performance make the upfront an ideal place to emphasize its overall importance?
Sports’ share of overall viewership has increased, so it’s more important than ever before to consumers, and therefore to advertisers. That’s why you’re seeing it getting a larger presence not just at the Fox upfront, but I would assume probably at many of the upfronts that have sports properties.