Latest in Upfront

CW chief Mark Pedowitz tried to put some context around an upcoming ownership shift of the network. It’s not a typical corporate deal, he said, because the CW is an important brand, and a well entrenched one. "You may have heard the CW is undergoing a bit of a transition of its own. But we’ve become more than just a…

The Super Bowl-winning 2000 Baltimore Ravens were among the NFL’s greatest defensive teams ever, and now the team is getting 30 for 30 treatment. ESPN Films has kicked off production on a documentary on the squad led by future Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Rod Woodson. The doc centers on one of the most notorious…

The newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery will host its first Upfront event on Wednesday, May 18 at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, showcasing its combined portfolio of content, brands, franchises and talent, ad sales chief Jon Steinlauf said Monday. The event is likely to be packed with clients, agency…

ViacomCBS has wrapped its upfront negotiations seeing "historic demand" that was solid across the board and benefitted from the conglom's broad portfolio strategy. The company didn't provide any numbers but color, from a person familiar with the negotiations, was rosy and in line with recent upbeat indications from…

NBCUniversal has wrapped its upfront advertising sales for the upcoming season, describing it as a “watershed moment and a clear signal that everything has changed.” Jeff Shell, the company’s CEO, confirmed the news during a virtual appearance at a Credit Suisse investor conference. Sales chief Linda Yaccarino also…

Disney's upfront kicked off with a glitch. Client and Brand Solutions EVP Lisa Valentino was just starting her portion of the advertising section of the House of Mouse's upfront’s digital press conference this morning when the screen went blank. The outage occurred around 8:14 a.m. PT. Contacted by Deadline, Disney…

For a second year in a row, the May TV Upfront and digital NewFronts presentations are going virtual as the U.S. still deals with the effects from the coronavirus pandemic. Once again, there are no parties and other festivities that typically accompany the lavish in-person presentations. And the events during the…

Paramount+’s iCarly revival has officially started production in Los Angeles and is eyeing a summer premiere on the premium streaming service. Joining returning original stars Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor are Single Parents and Florida Girls actress Laci Mosley and Jaidyn Triplett. The announcement…

Nicole Byer, Tony Hale and Natalie Morales are among the voice talent tapped for the adult roles in Paramount+’s Rugrats series revival. Hale will play Chuckie’s father, Morales as Phil and Lil’s mother and Byer, with Omar Miller, as Susie’s parents. Also joining the original cast members who voice the adventurous titu…

Nickelodeon is expanding its live-action roster with the renewal of hit series Danger Force and Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan for second seasons. The net has also ordered six additional episodes of live-action buddy comedy Side Hustle, bringing the first season to 26 total episodes. The announcement was made in…

NBCUniversal chief Jeff Shell Thursday called Peacock “the opposite of Quibi,” predicted struggling theme parks will break even or better next year and gave some — albeit minimal — color on the upfront. Peacock had 22 million signups, exceeding projections, and drawing on a combination of old, beloved content from the…

Discovery Inc. will see ad sales dip 10% or less in the current third quarter, an improvement from a 14% drop in the previous three months as the U.S. ad market slowly emerges from a COVID slump, said CEO David Zaslav. Internationally, he told investors at the Goldman Sachs media conference to expect strengthening 3Q…