19
out. So we’ll explain supply and demand, we’ll
cover any nuances or trends we saw in the
upfront and what that meant for their piece
of business. Some teams will start presenting
the results to their clients in late July, so we’re
working now on gathering all that information.Entry No. 7:
Close, but no cigars
We’re almost done. Each year, there are always
the holdouts—a cable guy, a syndicator—where
just little things are holding it up. It’s not about
disagreement on the numbers; it’s other work
getting in the way. If I had to go present to a
client right now, I could do so. We pretty much
know where the market is going to close.
Some media partners celebrate after an
upfront, but not us. I’m not in a celebratory
mood. I don’t believe the numbers we saw this
period are cause for celebration. Additionally,
I can’t recall a celebration of an upfront
negotiation since the ’90s. Just because the
negotiations are done from a rate-of-change
standpoint, the work certainly is not done. We’ve
got to get the inventory ordered, uploaded into
the system and allocated. ... It really never stops.
When we go to market in May and June, we
do so knowing budgets aren’t set in stone. There
are always people trying to make changes now.
I think this year more than ever, adding dollars
is going to be difficult, especially in places like
prime time and high-end cable. The sellout
levels, because of the ratings, are probably high
enough that clients now want to try to save
funding for scatter—an insurance policy to
make their numbers or make more than
their numbers.Entry No. 8:
Farewell,
Donna Speciale
Donna Speciale is leaving WarnerMedia. She
conducted her upfront as if nothing like this was
coming, as if she was going to be there long term.
Donna was a visionary for them; she is verywell-connected with clients and is well-liked in
the industry. I view that as a big loss for Warner
and for the industry. I appreciate that Xandr is
the darling at the moment, so I get the change.
While people were speculating that something
would probably happen, until it does, you expect
leaders like Donna to always be around.
What does this mean for our upfront buys?
Nothing. Turner is a broad-based, relatively
decent-priced offering, and it has huge data
capabilities. Its data-driven linear product is
top-notch, so few if anyone will say, “Oh, Donna
is not there,” and try to change their buy. The
world goes on, right? Unfortunately, we are all
replaceable, every single one of us. We’d like to
think we’re not, but we are. Makes you a bit sad.Entry No. 9:
Wrapping things up
For all intents and purposes, the upfront
process is done. I wouldn’t say any of us are in
upfront mode anymore other than the people
who have to now build their mixes.
We’ve pivoted and are working on client
presentations. Sometimes there are tweaks here
and there to their buy. There could be budget
cuts; there could be a brand that went away.
But for the most part (this is me knocking on
wood) I’ve never seen a client say, “Ugh, that’s
terrible!”
Client presentations are usually done by
the middle to end of September. Then the rush
is on to get it ordered and added to the system
so they can get on the air before the quarter
starts. While most may overlook this part of the
process, I find it to be the fun part. Here is where
you get to be really creative. Negotiation is an
art, but marketplace strategy is also an art, and
the way you sell your art to a client allows you
to bring in a different creativity. That appeals to
me very much.
I also love the upfront prework early in the
year. It’s some of the most strategic work we
produce. Admittedly, it’s the guesswork on
where things are going to net out—it’s when we
get to work with our clients on what is the best
possible course for their spending next year. My
least favorite stage of the upfront, ironically, isthe actual negotiations—which, in a word, suck.
This year’s outcome, as I’ve said, is a bit
higher than we thought it was going to be. Still, I
am generally pleased with what we did. We were
successful in a marketplace that was surprising.Entry No. 10:
Looking ahead
The world is definitely changing, and more than
ever we have to start relying less on general
audiences. And I don’t think that’s an easy task
for every single client to complete, especially
clients who are looking to target pretty much
everybody. But it’s on us to find audiences for
everybody.
Despite networks talking about how they’re
sold out, I definitely think they have inventory
for scatter and they’re expecting it to be
expensive because it’s been expensive for the
last three years. It will be interesting to see what
goes on with the election. That’s an artificial
tightener in prime in the next third quarter—
between the Olympics and the elections, there
are going to be a lot of preemptions—yet also
opportunities in news.
The other things that we’re going to keep
a keen eye on: What is WarnerMedia doing
with its AVOD service? What is NBC’s version
going to look like? What happens when Disney
takes over Hulu? What happens with CBS and
Viacom? There’s still a lot of change and a lot of
churn and a lot of competition for eyeballs—and
what’s going to happen? It keeps me coming back
year after year, like a moth to a flame, because
of these questions. Hopefully, we’ll have some of
those answers in time for next year’s upfront.STEINLAUF: CRAIG BARRITT/GETTY IMAGES FOR DISCOVERY INC.; YACCARINO: RICHARD BORD/GETTY IMAGES FOR CANNES LIONS
JASON LYNCH IS ADWEEK’S TV/MEDIA EDITOR,
COVERING TRENDS, TECHNOLOGY, PERSONALITIES
AND PROGRAMMING ACROSS BROADCAST, CABLE
AND STREAMING VIDEO. @JASONLYNCHADWEEK
®
| AUGUST 26, 2019Donna Speciale’s sudden exit won’t
alter any of the upfront deals she
negotiated prior to her departure.Ad sales chiefs like NBCU’s Linda
Yaccarino had completed most of
their upfront negotiations before
going to Cannes Lions.