A+E Networks Measures Up at Upfront With 2,500 Hours of Content

For this year's upfront season, A+E Networks is making sure its content measures up. Today, A+E Networks kicks off its virtual upfront presentation to advertisers, promoting more than 2,500 hours of new, multiplatform content across its portfolio—in addition to a new measurement-focused initiative called InterAction. “A+E continues to move forward with intention and pace in the ever-evolving media landscape, bringing forth premium quality content for viewers and innovative solutions for advertising partners," Paul Buccieri, president and chairman of A+E, said in a statement. "Behind the scenes, we partner with the best talent in the business—in front of and behind the camera—resulting in a diverse roster that resonates emotionally with all audiences everywhere." To help that content resonate, the company is partnering with big names such as Derek Jeter, Kevin Costner and Mary J. Blige. A+E Networks Adjusts Ad Sales Team to Bolster Digital Solutions Ahead of Upfront Highlights include a 20-part WWII documentary series, hosted and narrated by Tom Hanks for History Channel; a podcast on America’s Reconstruction Era from Barack Obama; a partnership from Home.Made.Nation and A&E with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine for lifestyle programming; and Lifetime's continued partnership with Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts for a biopic of Gloria Gaynor. For the 2024-2025 upfront, the company is focused on offering advertisers custom solutions and connecting them with viewers across its ecosystem of linear, websites, apps, DTC, AVOD and SVOD platforms. A+E Networks told ADWEEK it reaches two-thirds of adults (64% of the U.S. population 18+) across its portfolio, and the company has a unique digital audience that adds 30% incremental reach. Though Peter Olsen, president of ad sales at A+E Networks, recognizes that that audience isn't necessarily on the same level as tech giants like Google and Amazon, he explained the company is "scrappier," goes to clients to help meet business goals and offers custom tools instead of a one-size-fits-all plan. "Capabilities-wise, we're doing alternate currencies; we're doing outcomes-based guarantees," Olsen said. "The same thing Amazon and Google can do at a bigger level, we can do in this more nimble, innovation-lab way." New consumer 'InterActions' Among the new offerings, A+E Networks is introducing InterAction, a multimodal solution that showcases the company's ad effectiveness through attention, recall and search engagement, utilizing attention data from Tvision, Brand Effect’s recall and EDO’s behavioral dataset. "We really want to be front and center with creating new innovative solutions that will help articulate our value to our advertising partners," Suzanne Persechino, svp, revenue research, said. "InterAction is really shorthand for the value that A+E delivers to our advertising partners across that consumer purchase journey from taking a customer from the point of seeing an ad to taking an action." Roseann Montenes, svp of ad sales and audience solutions, explained the initiative is just the latest offering in A+E Networks' toolkit, including solutions such as Precision, an optimizer for advanced audience targeting, and Performance, which guarantees against business outcomes. "We play with all the same vendors that all the big guys play with, but we have more of a boutique approach," Montenes said. "We're able to knock it out of the park and give them all of the results—upper funnel, mid-funnel, lower funnel, every part—and do it in a very efficient way." Helping with that efficiency, A+E Networks recently realigned its ad sales team, adding new team members to strategically bolster its digital, multiplatform and data-driven capabilities. Additionally, as proof the company can meet advertisers at their needs, Olsen noted that A+E "doesn't really care" which company wins the ongoing industry currency battle, as it's focused on working with clients whatever their currency requirements. "They have to work with certain partners. We want them to want to work with us," Olsen said. "Because we are focused on their goals, their needs, not our own. We don't jam anything down their throat. We just say, 'Here are all of our ways to help solve your problems.'"

TV Upfronts

A+E Networks Measures Up at Upfront With 2,500 Hours of Content, New Measurement Tool

The multiplatform company partners with the likes of Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon and more

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