US Upfront Diaries reported by Daniella Serhan,
Foxtel Entertainment Sales and Partnerships Director
At the Fox Upfront alongside Lachlan Murdoch
It was a treat to attend the upfront of Foxtel Group’s parent company Fox Corp while we were in New York. The Foxtel Media team, along with hundreds of other attendees met at the Skylight venue in Manhattan for an immersive and dazzling presentation.
Foxtel Media’s Mark Frain, Daniella Serhan and Nev Hasan in New York
I’ll admit to being a little star-struck, with Susan Sarandon onstage, and Lachlan Murdoch sitting a few seats down from us (while rocking sneakers). It was clear that this upfront was going to be all about incredible content and at scale.
There was also massive focus placed on Fox Corp building a future with advertising in mind, again a subtle jab at Netflix, who historically has never shown signs of an advertising appetite.
Inside the Fox Upfront including the Fox Sports trophy room (bottom right)
The TUBI presentation (Fox Corp’s AVOD offering) was a true standout for me. TUBI is all about democratising content with a goal to serve all users with a diverse choice. The platform currently has the largest content library in the world with over 40,000 hours of free shows to watch. Next year, TUBI will be making over 100 originals with their rich tapestry of user data informing them exactly what kind of content their audience wants. This is a platform wholly committed to advertising with infrastructure in place and serving well.
Overall, it was fabulous to see what Fox Corp, with decades of experience under their belts, would be bringing to our screens later this year and next. Amongst the shows will be the country music drama Monarch featuring Susan Sarandon, and a legal thriller called Accused. There was also a presentation from Fox News, and Fox Sports presented the first comments from NFL superstar Tom Brady since his recent signing. Fox will also be keeping Gordon Ramsay busy.
Catch up on Part 1 and 2 of Foxtel Media’s trip to the US Upfronts here
WB Discovery shows off merged content pool
Rounding off a brilliant few days of Upfronts magic was WB Discovery at The Theatre in Madison Square Garden. Fresh off a merger, CEO David Zaslav took the stage and opened the show, immediately sharing with the audience that he was nervous and what a significant moment this was for the newly formed WB Discovery.
David Zaslav (centre) and a WB Discovery Upfront team photo
Zaslav shared that, weeks prior, the group established its new mission; to bring together Warner Bros and Discovery’s libraries of content and talent pools in a quest to allow the market to buy them together, the most dynamic media pool in the whole world.
From a Warner Bros perspective, the story of adaptation and survival is one the whole television industry could learn from. It is incredible to think that their studios – founded in 1923 and close to 100 years old – are still the largest creators of TV shows and motion pictures in the world.
The incandescent Jennifer Hudson took on hosting duties. On the surface, this seemed to be an odd choice of host as she is not part of the WB or Discovery family stable. However, halfway through the show, it was very clear why she was there as they soon announced that she would have her very own talk show on the network.
Inside the WB Discovery Upfront
The network had other biggest names from all key verticals including Shaq for sport and Oprah speaking of her appreciation for WB as they produced her very first film, The Colour Purple. A slate of new content was announced throughout the presentation, however what I’m excited to see from the network is undoubtedly the Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan reboot of Father of the Bride.
Jon Steinlauf, chief sales officer, came out to roaring applause. It’s evident that US execs are celebrities in their own right. He spoke about the group’s unrivalled and endless opportunities. He did call out that they would not be pivoting to streaming, but will focus on all platforms, as 80% of their audiences are watching on a CTV.
A key differentiator from the NBCU and Fox Upfronts was the fact that Steinlauf spoke of the direct incentives for the market if they broaden out their target demographics.
From a streaming services perspective, WB Discovery is still building out its strategic blueprint, however this seems certain to be an all-in-one platform. The million-dollar questions are which platform will it be and how will it be branded? What does the marriage of HBO Max and Discovery+ really look like?
It is hard not to appreciate how these two content powerhouses have brought together both portfolios so seamlessly. I was eager to see how they would pull it off, and they’ve done it well. The WB Discovery upfront was appropriately focussed on content, with stories woven together smoothly with channels and brands a secondary compliment to the content.
And that concludes the Foxtel Media US Upfronts adventure! It’s been a memorable whirlwind and if you were to ask me what my top tip would be for next year, this is it: bring sneakers.
That’s all folks!