Upfronts 2024
8 Takeaways From Netflix, Amazon and the Rest of Upfronts Week
It used to be all about the trailers and the broadcast fall schedules. Now those are largely a thing of the past as the media sector’s upfront presentations to Madison Avenue ad buyers continue to evolve. Following a week of spin and hard sales, here are eight central takeaways after Netflix, Amazon, NBCUniversal, Disney, Warner […]
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‘Superman & Lois’ Final Season Gets Fall Spot on The CW
After more than a year away, Superman & Lois is set to return to The CW in the fall. The final season of the superhero drama is part of the network’s 2024-25 schedule — but it’s the only one of the handful of scripted series from The CW’s pre-Nexstar era that is currently on the schedule […]
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Inside the Netflix Upfront: A Clear Message, Cameron Diaz and Lots of (Earned) Bragging
A year and a half after Netflix launched an ad-supported tier, the dominant streamer made an upfront pitch — at least in person, in Manhattan — for the first time. There was bragging about the overwhelming statistics of annual hours viewed, a second appearance this week from Jamie Foxx and an open invite for deeper […]
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Simone Biles, Dallas Cowboys Doc Series Headline Netflix’s Latest Sports Offerings
Netflix is getting into the Olympic spirit with its newest batch of sports documentaries. The streamer has partnered with the International Olympic Committee on three series following gymnastics superstar Simone Biles and athletes in men’s basketball and track and field. Filmmaking teams for the three shows will gain access to the athletes and venues at […]
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Inside the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront: ‘Superman’ For Sale!
Upfront week’s reliance on films isn’t actually new but it is increasingly bizarre, as evidenced by the top of Wednesday morning’s Warner Bros. Discovery presentation kicking off with sizzle that prioritized features Furiosa, Dune: Part Two and Wonka — when new episodes of the HBO and Max’s flagship Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the […]
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‘Conan O’Brien Must Go’ Renewed for Second Season at Max
Conan O’Brien will keep going with Max. The streamer has picked up a second season of O’Brien’s travel series Conan O’Brien Must Go, Max announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront presentation on Wednesday. Season two will have six episodes, two more than the initial run. The renewal comes four weeks after the first season […]
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Inside the Racy Disney Upfront: Bob Iger and Amorous Golden Retrievers Take Center Stage
If there were any lingering doubts that the Walt Disney Co. is now comfortable leaning into the edgier aspects of its increasingly aligned portfolio, they evaporated about 10 minutes into Tuesday’s upfront presentation when Ryan Reynolds promised that eventual Disney+ library member Deadpool & Wolverine would be a boon to advertisers targeting “testicular trauma” and […]
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Hulu Dives Into Stand-Up With Monthly Specials
Hulu is joining several of its fellow streaming services in the stand-up comedy game. The Disney-owned platform is launching a monthly series of stand-up specials under the banner “Hulu’s Laughing Now.” Jim Gaffigan will headline the first special, which is scheduled to premiere on Nov. 22, he announced from the stage at Disney’s upfront presentation […]
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Inside the Amazon Upfront: An A-List Gauntlet Is Thrown
At the Amazon upfront, Reese Witherspoon appearing in character as Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods wasn’t even the actress’ best effort of the morning. That came about 45 minutes before her presentation wrapper, when she scolded her You’re Cordially Invited co-star Will Ferrell for bragging about his romantic comedy prowess. “I’m the fucking queen of looking […]
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‘Abbott Elementary’ Gets ‘Golden Bachelorette’ Lead-In on ABC’s Fall Schedule
ABC will once again have Abbott Elementary as a centerpiece of its Wednesday night in 2024-25 — but it will begin the season without any companion comedies. The Emmy-winning series will move back a half-hour to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, with The Golden Bachelorette (which will run 90 minutes each week, up from an hour […]
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‘Legally Blonde’ Prequel Series a Go at Amazon
Reese Witherspoon is bringing a Legally Blonde series to Amazon’s Prime Video. What, like it’s hard? Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, Witherspoon — and Bruiser the dog — announced a series order for the show Tuesday at Amazon’s first-ever upfront presentation. The show, titled Elle, will tell the origin story of Elle Woods as […]
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‘The Boys’ Scores Early Season 5 Renewal at Amazon
The Boys will keep bringing the fight to superheroes for another season. The series based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book has scored a fifth season pickup at Prime Video, Amazon’s flagship streaming service. The renewal announcement is part of Amazon’s first-ever upfront and comes a few weeks before the June 13 premiere […]
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