Disney has confirmed it will join other media companies in hosting an in-person New York City upfront during the familiar mid-May week long known for broadcast network presentations to ad buyers.
The event on May 17 will be held at Basketball City, a facility on Pier 36 along the East River, which is a change from the company’s longtime Lincoln Center base. Ad sales chief Rita Ferro, in a note to clients, said the plan is to “transform” the new space in order to “deliver an upfront event unlike anything you’ve ever seen from Disney.”
In recent years, Disney has consolidated a previously separate event dedicated to ESPN into the main showcase. It also populated the 2019 upfront stage with brands like FX and National Geographic, which were acquired in the $71.3 billion Fox deal. Hulu, which Disney now controls, has exited the NewFronts after more than a decade of annual presentations there, and will now be part of the main Disney production.
In the leadup to the big-tent event in May, the company will host three stand-alone events dedicated to technology, sports and storytelling in March and April.
NBCUniversal, Fox, ViacomCBS and the CW have all confirmed a return to in-person upfronts after two years of virtual gatherings due to Covid concerns. NBCU, ViacomCBS and the CW are back in their longtime homes in Midtown Manhattan, while Fox decamped for a new downtown site. Consistent with New York City policies, vaccination, masking and other safety protocols will be in place.
Disney said it will convene its second Tech & Data Showcase on March 3, spotlighting technology aimed at improving advertising, measurement, targeting and other areas. On April 6, the company will host a sports summit, highlighting the array of sports rights controlled by the company across ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ and other platforms. Original programming will anchor the company’s “storytellers showcase” on April 26. Unlike the tech and sports events, which will be virtual, the programming one is billed as an “intimate” in-person gathering.
Ferro said 2022 “is off to a roaring start and we’re feeling incredibly optimistic.” New York City has gradually started to put events in the media and entertainment industry back on the calendar, stretching from this month to May. The NewFronts will unfold in person in early May, leading into the in-person upfronts. Film industry partisans are returning to premieres, and many have circled mid-March for the New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review galas.
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