NBCUniversal Crosses Upfront Finish Line First With ‘Modest Growth’

NBCUniversal is once again the first major publisher to wrap upfront talks.

Today, ADWEEK learned the company “drove modest growth across its portfolio,” according to a source familiar with the matter. The growth was fueled by audiences, live programming and streaming. Additionally, the company had “record-breaking” upfront commitments in sports, Peacock and digital.

The company is not disclosing details around total volume or CPMs (cost per thousand viewers reached); however, a source familiar noted NBCU is “very happy” with where pricing landed.

“This past year, we focused every investment and innovation on driving media effectiveness for our clients. Our engaging content provides the ultimate canvas for our advertisers to tell their brand stories to their consumers,” Mark Marshall, chairman, global advertising and partnerships, NBCUniversal, said in a statement. “And in this year’s upfront, NBCUniversal saw growth in advertising commitments across its portfolio in key business areas, including strategic audiences, live programming and streaming—demonstrating the value of our storytelling and the strength of our powerful tech stack to the marketplace.”

Among the highlights, NBCUniversal’s broadcast portfolio is up in volume year over year across entertainment, sports and news, with growth driven by the reach of live events and fandoms. Meanwhile, sports digital had double-digit year-over-year growth and Hispanic sports investments increased by nearly 20%. It was NBCU’s largest digital upfront ever.

Entertainment and news had similar levels to last year, with programming from Bravo, late night and Nightly News leading the way.

Direct-to-consumer advertisers within NBCU’s SMBG group increased total investments by nearly 50%. Other year-over-year increases include 45% growth in prime, nearly 60% growth in news and nearly 90% growth in sports.

The company grew across several categories, including auto, retail, insurance, personal care and beverages.

Regarding specific properties, high-profile sponsorships around SNL50, sports and entertainment continued to drive conversations.

Keeping it all upfront

This is the second year in a row that NBCU didn’t reveal CPM details. In 2023, the company said total volume was “roughly in line” with the $7 billion in commitments it received in 2022.

Buyers previously told ADWEEK that this year’s negotiations were softer than expected, with rollbacks likely coming across the board outside of sports

In addition to this year’s deals, ADWEEK learned the company is also looking ahead to opportunities such as 2026 FIFA World Cup on Telemundo, Super Bowl LX, Milano Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Games and next year’s BravoCon.

Speaking to ADWEEK ahead of NBCU’s upfront presentation, Marshall noted the importance of tentpole events but also explained that deals are evolving as brands look more to audiences.

“We’ve always thought about it as you’re reserving these big tentpole events across the year, which is true,” Marshall said. “But as we continue to evolve, we have conversations with people who are looking to reserve audiences throughout the year. And that was not part of a traditional negotiation in the past.”

According to a source familiar with the matter, more than half of NBCUniversal’s business is now transacting on a combination of broad and advanced audiences.