Expanded sports offering and new talent

Amid the fervor of the NBA Playoffs, WBD placed special emphasis on the breadth of its sports properties. 

In particular, basketball legend and NBA on TNT host Charles Barkley reiterated the unique draw of live sports for advertisers. TNT Sports reaches more than 150 million fans across its portfolio, according to the company.

WBD pointed marketers’ attention to its popular NCAA March Madness property, which drove almost $1 billion in ad sales earlier this year. It also has a variety of new sports rights, including a multiyear deal with Nascar, and announced the addition of famed driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the newest member of its Nascar broadcast team.

Additionally, WBD announced the extension of its Hard Knocks series, an offseason version of the franchise that will follow the New York Giants.

New ad products

The company unveiled a host of new ad products at its upfront, whose connectivity throughout the WBD universe was emphasized by chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell.

“I’m very proud to announce that One WBD is officially here,” Campbell said. “We’re here for hundreds of millions of fans around the world.”

As part of this new approach, the company debuted a host of new products. Underscoring the new capabilities offered by CTV technology, WBD touted its new shoppable ads, which will enable viewers to explore featured products during the show and find more ways to purchase.

It also joined a host of other streamers in touting its advanced contextual targeting products. These ads will tailor advertiser messages to match the emotional tone of specific content moments, all while ensuring brand suitability. 

Finally, a new host of interactive ads will feature engagement opportunities like Click to Contact, Trivia and Polls, and Viewer’s Choice.

“On average, WBD content is consumed by 85% of U.S. adults,” Steinlauf said. “Our content and scale give us the power to penetrate the zeitgeist to shape pop culture and inspire consumer behavior. We call this the WBD Effect.”