The Most Memorable Moments of 2022’s Upfront Week

The first in-person upfront week since 2019 has finally wrapped. But before you shift your focus to negotiations, let’s take another look back at the week’s most memorable moments, which included everything from salsa dancing (Univision ad sales chief Donna Speciale has got some moves!) to spectacle (NBCUniversal’s BravoCon extravaganza) to not one but two Lizzo appearances. And if you missed any of our comprehensive upfront week coverage, you can find it here. NBCUniversal NBCUniversal kicked off in-person upfront week with a star-studded spectacle at Radio City Music Hall. Kelly Clarkson got things started singing "Queen of the Night" and Miley Cyrus came in like a wrecking ball. But the wildest moment had to be the surprise dance number in the middle of the event for NBCU's fan event BravoCon. Bravolebrities, including the Below Deck and Real Housewives casts, littered the stage as far as the eye could see, and Andy Cohen reigned supreme as the king of all the chaos. Move aside, Doctor Strange: BravoCon is the real multiverse of madness. —Bill Bradley Fox What audiences will likely most remember about Fox’s upfront presentation is that they trekked out to Manhattan’s west side to watch a pre-recorded presentation, despite multiple executives being in the room live and in-person. Marketers seemed stunned as it dawned on them that almost no content was live, and the crowd remained pretty much dead silent throughout the entire presentation. Trace Adkins and Susan Sarandon were the only in-person entertainment, closing out the show as part of a promotion for their upcoming series Monarch. (Ad sales chief Marianne Gambelli later explained Fox’s upfront event strategy to Adweek.) —Mollie Cahillane 2022 Upfront Week's Most Biting Onstage Potshots Telemundo celebration Hundreds of advertisers and NBCUniversal staffers mingled Monday night at the Ziegfeld Ballroom to celebrate Telemundo’s programming slate. Lively conversations could be heard in Spanish and English alike, unique among upfront week gatherings. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer Ozuna closed the celebration with a 90-minute performance. He was joined by his band, a team of female dancers including two in bear costumes wearing Telemundo-branded shirts. He closed with his hit song "Taki Taki," much to the audience’s delight. —A.J. Katz Univision While ad sales chiefs tend to go above and beyond pitching to marketers during upfronts, Univision’s Donna Speciale took it to another level. The executive not only delivered an energetic on-stage presence, she also learned to salsa—and was really good! In a pre-recorded video, Speciale appeared with the hosts of Mira Quién Baila to complete a full routine. After a brief reprisal onstage, she told the crowd, “That was a fucking bucket list item, and that’s not on the teleprompter.” —M.C. Donna Speciale showing off her new salsa dancing moves. Disney Disney brought its upfront to an expansive new space in New York's Basketball City, catering to the thousands of people in the venue with massive TV screens and an extensive stage. Throughout the night, the company made good on Disney ad sales chief Rita Ferro's promise to bring more talent than ever. The presentation included sports figures such as Peyton and Eli Manning, Hulu stars like the cast of Only Murders in the Building and even stormtroopers to escort the Manning brothers off stage when they wouldn't seem to leave. However, the most significant moment came from Marvel, which brought Kevin Feige to the stage to drop news about Loki Season 2, introduce the first She-Hulk trailer and even bring out Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson. —B.B. YouTube Lizzo’s pants malfunctioned while she performed “Good As Hell,” “Truth Hurts” and “About Damn Time” onstage at YouTube's Brandcast event, with the pop star joking that no one told her her fly was down. Fitting that at an event for marketers, she turned the mishap into an advertisement for her new shapewear line, Yitty, which she was wearing underneath. —Catherine Perloff Warner Bros. Discovery In its first upfront post-merger, Warner Bros. Discovery pulled out all the stops to impress clients and prove it could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with broadcast networks. Despite an incredible performance from Jennifer Hudson, it’s still Lizzo, making her second appearance of upfront week, who the audience is going to remember most clearly. The star announced an upcoming HBO documentary project and said she put “blood, sweat and pussy juice” into the film, before adding she’s an “HB-Hoe” now. A clearly flustered JB Perrette—the company’s streaming chief—found himself at a loss for words, asking the crowd how he could possibly follow that. —M.C. Paramount Paramount's first in-person upfront week presentation since Viacom and CBS merged in 2019 had a lot of ground to cover, and the company tried to pack it all into a neat 60-minute event at Carnegie Hall. Though Paramount devoted a significant portion of time to the cast of Ghosts performing a comedic musical, marketers were most enthusiastic about Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone franchise. During a segment dedicated to Sheridan's shows, star after star kept coming to the stage—including Kevin Costner, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Sylvester Stallone—to increasingly exuberant applause. —B.B. The CW It’s the most Wonder-ful time of the year at The CW: The network kicked off its upfront event Thursday with a joyous performance from the iconic Stevie Wonder, and the crowd loved it. The presentation itself was filled with a plethora of CW stars, including a mini Supernatural reunion, and sneak peeks at upcoming series including Gotham Knights and Walker: Independence. Riverdale star KJ Apa said goodbye to the long-running show, and all the network’s stars joined onstage to take a selfie with the crowd. —M.C.

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The Most Memorable Moments of 2022’s Upfront Week

From spectacle and salsa dancing to a Lizzo double feature

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Jason Lynch

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Jason Lynch