What are NewFronts & Upfronts?

By Matthew Threadgill (Coordinator & Executive Assistant, Nickelodeon)

Interview by Natalie Lifson (Executive Assistant & Agent Trainee at Buchwald, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Hollywood Assistant)

Every spring, as media companies begin to sell advertising slots for the coming year, Upfronts and NewFronts take center stage at various locations throughout New York City. A key industry practice at the intersection of creative and commerce, Upfronts and NewFronts are presentations in which media companies reveal upcoming content and initiatives to attract advertisers and secure future commitments from them. Janice Pietrowicz, Senior Manager of Ad Marketing at Roku, sat down with us to give some insight into what Upfronts and NewFronts are and why they’re important. 

Upfronts were established in the 1960s to sell advertising slots in advance, or “up front,” of every television season. “Upfront week is historically where traditional television networks present to marketers,” Janice explained, “however as streaming continues to grow, some big streaming providers have moved into Upfront week in an effort to compete more directly with the legacy TV space.”  Every year after pilot season, networks and streaming platforms tease their upcoming slate of new and returning television programs to advertisers through presentations. They’re typically flashy events that feature celebrity appearances, musical performances, and spectacle. Last year, they were kept modest and less star-studded due to the WGA strikes. This year, Upfronts are expected to be more extravagant than last year’s, but less than previous years due to minimal pilot orders. 

So far, companies including Hallmark Media, Scripps Network, and AMC Network have hosted Upfronts throughout the month of April, but the majority always take place mid-May. Up next, between May 13th and May 16th: Fox, NBCUniversal, Telemundo, Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros Discovery, Amazon, Telemundo, and more. For the second year in a row, Paramount is forgoing an Upfront presentation to host a series of smaller presentations in late April and early May.

NewFronts, derived from Upfronts in 2008, are similar events made for the digital space. According to Janice, “NewFronts is a week in early May where publishers and technology companies put on large presentations to showcase new innovations, upcoming content, and scarce ad products for prospective brand and media buyers in the industry.”

Between April 29th and May 2nd, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) hosted 22 NewFront presentations for companies including Google, Roku, YouTube, Condé Nast, Meta, Snap, TikTok, Vevo, BBC, A+E, Nielsen, and more. 

“The Newfront/Upfront is a crucial time for publishers to reach ad buyers as they are beginning to develop their media strategy and plans for the upcoming year,” Janice said. “Streaming is a significant and long-term global opportunity – there are 1 billion broadband households around the world, and for advertisers that’s a massive opportunity.” 

She then went on to explain how they fit into Roku’s strategy in particular. Roku, like other participating media companies, relies on their NewFront to “share [their] biggest announcements supporting this strategy to build excitement and buzz in the advertising market.” According to Janice, “each year, Roku leverages [their] NewFront event to bring the industry together to hear about new innovations, partnerships, and more that advertisers want to know about as they plan for the upcoming year. This year’s NewFront focused on how Roku brings scale and simplicity back to TV advertising.” 

Roku was also kind enough to share a recording of their NewFront presentation with us so we can take you through the structure of a standard NewFront presentation. NewFronts typically begin with a spirited introduction delineating the company’s mission and overall value to advertisers and consumers. President Charlie Collier introduced Roku’s NewFront using clips from classic shows All in the Family and The Jeffersons to emphasize Roku’s televisual roots, segueing into deeper discussion of Roku’s value. Following, audience members can expect executives and special guests to provide insight into upcoming features across various divisions including content, marketing, and sales and present previews of content. For example, Roku Head of Marketing Sweta Patel presented an expanded marquee on the platform’s home screen that will make space for video ads. Furthermore, special guests Jessica Alba, Zach Cherry, Casey Wilson, and Josh Peck offered a glimpse into upcoming programs on The Roku Channel.

Despite the ongoing changes within our industry, Upfronts and NewFronts are beacons of optimism as companies celebrate the future– an encouraging anchor for professionals across the entertainment industry.

Upfront/NewFront fun facts:

• Adult Swim Upfront 2013: Kanye West performed inside a pyramid-shaped set.

• Fox Upfront 2015: Waiters dressed as Scream Queens cheerleaders served ice cream to the audience with bloody knives protruding from their backs.

• ABC Upfront 2017: The Backstreet Boys gave a throwback performance to promote the network's singing competition series, Boyband. 

• Twitter NewFront 2019: Twitter transformed NYC’s popular music venue, Terminal 5, into a branded, speakeasy-inspired space, where they held their NewFront.

• NBCUniverdal Upfront 2019: Kenan Thompson and his SNL co-stars performed a Family Feud-themed sketch.