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Even though upfront week doesn’t start until Monday, the Writers Guild of America strike is already making an impact on the annual advertising event.
Late Wednesday night, Adweek learned exclusively that Netflix abruptly changed its in-person upfront event, originally planned for May 17 at 5 p.m. at New York’s Paris Theater, to an all-virtual presentation. The streamer also confirmed that it “made the decision to have no talent at the presentation as well.”
Though Netflix didn’t give an official reason for the move, a source familiar with the matter told Adweek that the company shifted to a virtual event due to the WGA’s planned protest outside the venue. According to the source, the WGA told the New York Police Department it would disrupt Netflix’s upfront event, and the NYPD had concerns about pedestrian safety, which prompted the change of plans.
In response to the reasoning behind Netflix’s move to a virtual presentation, The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) sent Adweek a statement, saying it had “planned a legal, peaceful picket of Netflix'[s] upfronts at the Paris Theater in New York City.” The WGAE added that it “will continue to picket Netflix and other studios until the companies are ready to negotiate a fair deal that addresses writers’ legitimate concerns.”
Despite Netflix’s last-minute shift, Adweek has learned the remaining in-person upfront week events—consisting of NBCUniversal and Fox on Monday, TelevisaUnivision and Disney on Tuesday and Warner Bros. Discovery and YouTube on Wednesday—will continue as planned, sources from each company confirmed.
“We have enormous respect for the creative community and this moment—it is a difficult time for everyone,” a source familiar with Disney’s presentation told Adweek. “Our priority for next week is to hold a meaningful event for our advertising partners and, as would be the case in any year, ensure the safety of our talent, staff and our guests.”
And regarding NBCU’s event, which kicks off upfront week, Joe Benarroch, evp of global communications at NBCU, told Adweek that things are moving forward, adding, “The upfront is a future’s market, and when it comes to NBCUniversal, advertisers invest in the whole breadth and scale of our platform.”
For TelevisaUnivision’s part, its content is largely produced in Mexico, so a source familiar with the company said the strike didn’t affect it at all.
Meanwhile, other companies also didn’t have any changes to report.
Where it goes from here
While Netflix has already shifted to a virtual presentation, additional fallout from the strike may not be felt until next week, with protesters planning to picket outside of NBCUniversal’s Radio City Music Hall event on Monday.
Protesters already impacted NBCU’s NewFronts event for Peacock in early May, semi-blocking the entrance to Center415 ahead of the presentation.
Picketing could also affect talent participation at upfront week events. Those events typically showcase high-profile network talent, but with the strike, many celebrities may be hesitant to cross picket lines—which likely accounts for Netflix’s lack of celebrity participation in its now-virtual upfront.
Peacock’s NewFronts event notably only featured executives. However, Mark Marshall, president of advertising sales and client partnerships, recently told Adweek that NBCU “will have an extremely powerful upfront show and will still have great talent participating.”
Time will tell if the strike affects upfront week events further, but John Halley, Paramount’s ad sales president, doesn’t envy the upfront week presenters’ position. Paramount decided late last year to exit upfront week, in favor of more intimate dinners with clients in April.
“We did not anticipate that timing, obviously, when we made the decision,” Halley told Adweek recently of avoiding the strike. “That absolutely is going to be super challenging for our peers.”
Additional reporting by Mollie Cahillane.
