Former HQ Trivia Master Scott Rogowsky Will Host Virtual NewFronts Next Month

Comedian Scott Rogowsky — former face of the once-so-hot HQ Triva mobile game and host of a baseball talk show ChangeUp for sports streaming service DAZN — will host the reconstituted IAB NewFronts, unspooling a first-ever virtual version the week of June 22.

Co-hosts for the five-days of presentations, where about 30 digital companies will describe accelerated change and audience behavior across streaming, include co-founder and lead analyst of TVR[E]V Alan Wolk, Bon Appétit Test Kitchen Video Host Clair Saffitz, host and senior editor of Marketplace Tech, Molly Wood, and business anchor at Cheddar, Nora Ali. Friday’s host is still to be confirmed. Featured presenters range from Facebook, YouTube and Roku to Snap, Crackle Plus and Tubi. There will also be a highly-anticipated debut appearance by TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance and riding a wave of buzz from its exploding user base and its new CEO, Kevin Mayer, who recently jumped from Disney.

The annual NewFronts were founded by Digitas, Google/YouTube, Hulu, Microsoft, and Verizon Media (formerly AOL and Yahoo) in 2012 to supplement the traditional broadcast and cable Upfront presentations. Like those events, the NewFronts had been live until this year when the coronavirus pandemic forced it online. See schedule here: iab.com/events/newfronts-2020/

“A digital pioneer, Scott is the perfect choice to host this year’s first-ever virtual NewFronts,” said David Cohen, President, IAB. “His irreverent media savvy approach is exactly what this event needs – he’ll help us break down what’s really happening and why it matters as we all navigate our new streaming future.”