Latest in Upfront

Crown Media Family Networks said it has wrapped up its 2019-20 upfront ad sales, locking in double-digit gains for both price and volume. The company’s twin networks, the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, have bucked the broader trend of cratering ratings. With its wholesome…

The upfront pageantry this year was as strong as ever — live performances by Jonas Brothers, John Meyer and Luis Fonsi, cocktails at the Plaza — as the top commercial networks vie for a piece of the $20 billion TV advertising pie. Yet, the glitzy presentations sometimes were overshadowed within the networks’ own…

Unifying previously separate upfront events for ABC and ESPN, and adding in the assets acquired from Fox and a sprinkling of streaming mentions, Disney filled two theaters with media buyers and played the hits (both verifiable and aspirational). Business-wise, the presentation at Lincoln Center wasn’t bursting with…

Jimmy Kimmel scorched a bit more earth than usual in his 16th appearance at ABC’s upfront, an appropriate increase in scale and intensity given the super-sized, merger-enhanced affair, which showcased not just ABC but the newly enlarged Disney portfolio. Kimmel, of course, did not miss the opportunity to take shots at…

Bad news: the cult favorite supernatural series Shadowhunters is coming to an end after three seasons. Good news: they are going out with a bang. Freeform announced today that they have set a two and a half hour series finale on May 6 at 8 pm EDT/PDT. The announcement was made ahead of Wednesday’s Freeform summit and…

NBCUniversal has wrapped its upfront for 2018-19, sources with knowledge of the process confirmed. Volume was up 5% overall and NBC primetime ads went up 7%. CPMs increased between 11% and 13% for broadcast prime and late-night, and NFL telecasts posted a 7% rise, with similar sell-through to 2017 despite headwinds…

Batwoman will make her first live-action appearance on any screen in CW’s Arrow crossover event next season, a four-legged actor could not get into the country, and other headlines were made at CW’s Upfront presentation this morning. CW chief Mark Pedowitz walked media buyers through network’s expansion to six nights…

At Turner’s annual upfront at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden, company head Kevin Reilly and ad-sales chief Donna Speciale emphasized the Turner networks’ reach beyond the TV screen and its efforts to reinvent the traditional TV advertising model. “The industry spends a lot of time talking about the future,&#8221…

Full Frontal host Samantha Bee made the most of her 5-minute segment during the Turner upfront, unveiling a mobile game aimed at stimulating voter turnout in the mid-term elections and getting off rapid-fire shots at an array of consumer brands. “I don’t just make a weekly TV show where I shriek my feelings about…

Discovery Communications touted the strength of its bulked-up cable portfolio in the company’s first upfront event since closing its $14.6 billion acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive. CEO David Zaslav called the presentation at New York’s Alice Tully Hall “our coming-out party.” After a short video greeting by…

GSN has renewed freshman hit Snap Decision for a second season and greenlit two new strip series, America Says (working title) and Caroline & Friends, hosted by Sabrina the Teenage Witch alum Caroline Rhea, the network announced Monday at its 2018 Upfront in New York City. In addition, GSN has picked up Cover Story…

Crown Media Family Networks got creative when its upfront was canceled Wednesday due to the arrival of Winter Storm Toby in New York City. Big snowstorms in March certainly aren’t unheard of — Toby is the fourth nor’easter this month alone — but this might be the first time a storm forced the cancellation of an…