It was a little more stressful last year than this year for that reason. And the advertising marketplace was in a different place. Twelve months later, the marketplace, while not back to its full potential, is definitely in a much better place.
What can we expect from the upcoming event at the North Javits Center?
It’ll be the best of storytelling around sports, streaming and our linear entertainment platforms, with one of the biggest lineups of talent that you will see on any stage that week. We’ve been in a couple of venues now doing this upfront. This is the best venue to do it in. It exceeds our full audience of 3,500 people.
We have the afterparty right in the same venue regardless of weather. What you’re gonna see in the afterparty is a lot of thematically relevant, fun things, surprise and delight moments around food, entertainment and experiences that are going to be a little bit different than what you saw last year. We’re in a better place from being able to get talent, but it’s also about making connections around the company and making connections with audiences, our brands and our franchises.
This year, you have Jimmy Kimmel back. In addition to Kimmel having to sit out last year, he had to do his part remotely the year before because he tested positive for Covid-19. What does it mean to have him, as well as other talent, back this year in person?
Jimmy is a tentpole in our show, and he’s always one of the biggest moments that customers wait for. I always brace myself because I tend to make it into that roast every year. You’ve got to have thick skin when it comes to Jimmy. But in all seriousness, he is one of the main draws of our upfront, continues to be that, and we’re thrilled to have him this year again.
But it’s not only Jimmy. The show is going to open with huge talent. We have the best theatrical studios in the business and the best television studios in the business, who not only make extraordinary content for our platforms but make a lot of content for other people’s platforms. You’re going to see a lot of big debuts and announcements on that stage.
There will reportedly be a look at the combined ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery sports streamer at the upfront. What can you tell us about this? Are you working with those other ad teams at all?
Well, let me clarify something because I think there’s a little confusion. When I read those articles, I’m not sure people fully understand this. The new sports streamer—it’s actually not a sports streamer. It’s a digital MVPD. It is a way for people who have not had the desire or opportunity to be part of the MVPD ecosystem to have a way to get the sports and the content that they most value, and so having a smaller package of the right combination of sports rights for people to say, “Yes, this is worth the investment because I’m a big sports fan, and I want to follow.” We’re going to monetize that as part of our full sports portfolio. That’s how it gets monetized everywhere. It’s incremental reach to all of our distribution strategies across the board.