NBCU Presents Subdued Upfront Due to Writers Strike, Linda Yaccarino Exit

Linda Yaccarino was gone, but not forgotten, as NBCUniversal kicked off upfront week with its presentation this morning at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

The longtime ad sales chief departed the company on Friday to become Twitter’s CEO, requiring last-minute rewrites to NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation. In her absence, Mark Marshall, formerly president of advertising sales and client partnerships, was named interim chairman of NBCUniversal’s advertising and partnerships group, reporting to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.

Both Lazarus, who was the first executive on stage (a role previously filled by NBCU CEO Jeff Shell, who exited the company last month), and Marshall paid tribute to Yaccarino during the presentation. “We want to thank her and wish her well,” said Lazarus. 

Meanwhile, a joke at Twitter’s expense early in the presentation took on new meaning given Yaccarino’s recent departure. The event kicked off with a video featuring Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed, talking bear, Ted, performing a song and dance about the importance of TV ads, especially over other platforms such as social media. The line that got the biggest laugh from the audience: “Twitter may seem like the place to begin/but Twitter just let all the crazies back in.”

But Yaccarino’s absence wasn’t the only reason that NBCUniversal’s presentation was anything but ordinary, and more subdued than usual. Because of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, most of NBCUniversal’s entertainment talent declined to participate in the upfront, in solidarity with the writers (who picketed outside Radio City, creating a somewhat congested presence as people scooted by signs to line up for the venue). Radio City is just the first of the WGA’s planned protests during upfront week, as the group is set to hit each major publisher presentation.

Lazarus also acknowledged the writers strike, which was a major contrast to how NBCU handled the strike at its NewFronts event two weeks earlier, completely ignoring it during Peacock’s event despite writers protesting outside.

“We are grateful for the contribution writers make to our company and respect their right to demonstrate,” Lazarus said. “It may take some time, but I know we will eventually get through this and the result will be a stronger foundation upon which we can all move forward together.”

With upfront staples such as Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers absent from the presentation, the company tapped its news personalities to take their place onstage.

MSNBC’s Willie Geist was onstage to introduce a package about Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary, which is coming up in 2025, The 11th Hour host Stephanie Ruhle came out to introduce the company’s upcoming new dramas—including The Irrational with Jesse L. Martin, which is part of NBC’s fall schedule—and Squawk Box’s Andrew Ross Sorkin discussed Mandy Moore’s involvement in a new season of Dr. Death. Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb later led a whole team of newsers from across NBCU’s ecosystem for a segment showcasing all the various news properties.

In fact, throughout the event, one of the only celebrities not in NBC’s news division who appeared onstage was Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez.

During a previously recorded segment featuring creators from across NBCU, including Amy Poehler, Dick Wolf and Rian Johnson, the company ran a disclaimer, noting that the interviews took place in April before the writers strike was announced.

A spotlight on sports

In addition to news, NBCU put a spotlight on sports and Bravo throughout the show.

The company is bringing Big Ten Football to its primetime schedule this fall and had Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano, Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder and Penn State head football coach James Franklin grace the stage to talk about it.

Additionally, Grace Potter sang “Paris” to highlight the Paris Olympics in 2024, as a video of athletes played in the background.

Last year’s presentation, the first in-person upfront week event since 2019, was a star-studded spectacle full of musical numbers and Bravolebrities to celebrate BravoCon. And with BravoCon heading to Las Vegas in 2023, the upcoming show also received its moment, though it was somewhat less star-studded with Andy Cohen absent from the stage.

However, to showcase BravoCon coming to Vegas, NBCU made Vanderpump Rules’ Ariana Madix magically appear onstage with Vegas-style dancers.

Madix has been in the news and across social media since the story broke that Vanderpump cast member Tom Sandoval cheated on her with fellow castmate Raquel Leviss. And after NBCU gave her a magical appearance, Madix joked, “If only they could make some of those other people disappear.”

Telemundo was also featured during the presentation, with stars William Levy and Rafael Amaya coming to the stage, and the company talking about the success of the World Cup on Telemundo and Peacock.

The company also has Spanish-language coverage from the Women’s World Cup on the way.

“With all the focus on women’s sports and the importance of continuing to provide some equity in terms of coverage and exposure, we’re very proud to be able to partner with FIFA for the Women’s World Cup,” Marshall told Adweek ahead of the upfront week event.

A ‘competitive year’ ahead

Marshall helped close out the show, pointing out the crowded advertising market ahead, with 30 pharma launches, 60 automobile launches and more than 100 movies hitting theaters.

“We know this is a competitive year. Here at NBCUniversal, we are built for these moments,” Marshall said, noting NBCU’s platforms reach 227 million people each month.

“This is the high-profile, unduplicated reach you have all been looking for,” he added. “And unlike some of our digital video competitors, it’s in the content you actually want to be a part of.”

The event was a half-hour shorter than NBCU’s usual two-hour presentation, given the lack of talent from its entertainment shows. However, considering the challenges it was facing, NBCU still put on a worthwhile show, especially from a musical standpoint.

In addition to Grace Potter, Reba McEntire, the newest coach coming to The Voice this fall, sang her classic hit “Fancy,” and Nick Jonas closed out the show by singing “Jealous” and “Levels.”

It wasn’t a typical event. But as they say, the show must go on—barring any further delays from the writers strike, anyway.