The Biggest News Out of Upfronts and NewFronts 2024

ABSTRACT

• This year’s upfronts will showcase advancements in ad targeting and measurement on streaming platforms. NBCUniversal is revamping Peacock’s ad capabilities, while Amazon unveils interactive ad formats for Prime Video.
• Netflix remains tight-lipped about specific ad plans, but they’ll be sharing details alongside their upcoming content slate.
• Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up to offer a bundle encompassing Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max, with both ad-supported and ad-free options. This caters to consumer demand for all-in-one streaming experiences.
• Building on their partnership for a sports streaming service with Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery will continue their collaboration. This move highlights the growing importance of offering a comprehensive sports streaming experience.

The upfronts are almost here, but sometimes it can be hard to keep up with all of the news coming out of this yearly event. So to make your life easier, here’s a roundup of some of the top streaming stories we can expect to hear more about in the coming weeks.?

On the streaming advertising side, there has been a lot of chatter about new ad tech that will become available through streaming platforms. NBCUniversal , for example, says that they’re planning to focus their upfront event on their plans to upgrade Peacock’s ad targeting capabilities and proof of performance. Amazon also just unveiled new interactive ad units for their Prime Video streaming platform — allowing advertisers to take advantage of carousel features and brand trivia ads to engage with viewers. And Netflix has revealed that they plan to focus on their upcoming slate of content, along with some new ad-tier capabilities on their platform.?

But ad tech won’t be the only focus of media companies at this year’s upfronts. Disney Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery just shared the news that the two will be the latest to join forces for a streaming bundle. The two companies announced a new Disney+, Hulu , and Max bundle that will offer both ad-free and ad-supported streaming tiers for subscribers. And that’s not the only team up coming from these two — earlier this year they shared their plans to work with Fox to create a joint sports streaming service, answering the call from consumers to make their sports watching available in a one-stop-shop.? Ultimately, it’s clear that there will be a lot to look forward to this year at the Upfronts and beyond.

Connected TV in the News

Warner Bros. Discovery Teams Up With Disney for a Game-Changing Streaming Bundle eMarketer In a major partnership announced Wednesday, WBD will bundle Max with Disney+ and Hulu in a new streaming package set to launch this summer.

Connected TV: The Ultimate Performance Glow-Up for Beauty & Cosmetics Brands MNTN Research We looked at the performance of beauty & cosmetics advertisers on MNTN — and what we found made it clear how effective Connected TV can be as a performance booster, especially over time.

Disney, Walmart Team Up for Enhanced Targeting, Measurement Across Streaming Adweek Disney Advertising struck a deal with Walmart Connect that allows advertisers to target Disney’s streaming portfolio, including Disney+ and Hulu, using Walmart’s shopper data, the companies announced today.