ViacomCBS Will Hold First-Ever In-Person Upfront Week Event at Carnegie Hall

Because the pandemic hit shortly after the Viacom and CBS merger closed in December 2019, the combined company hasn’t yet held a in-person upfront presentation for marketers. That will finally change in May, when ViacomCBS will return to Carnegie Hall—CBS’ longtime upfront week home—for an in-person upfront soiree. ViacomCBS will hold its presentation on Wednesday, May 18, the company said today. “We’re thrilled to return to the iconic stage at Carnegie Hall this year and spotlight the power of ViacomCBS in what will surely be a show-stopping event,” Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer, ViacomCBS domestic advertising sales, said in a statement. “We look forward to delivering an entertaining and informative presentation that addresses the dynamic needs of our clients, which is absolutely critical as the marketplace continues to transform at a rapid pace.” Almost all of the usual upfront week presenters have now committed to holding in-person events at the annual New York gathering for marketers, for the first time since 2019. So far, all of the announced upfront week events can also be streamed for those who prefer to attend remotely. NBCUniversal Will Return to Radio City Music Hall for In-Person, May Upfront ViacomCBS has held virtual upfront presentations over the past two years. In 2020, Ross and her team held a two-day virtual upfront event. The first day’s Viacom-centric presentation stood in for the intimate agency dinners that had been planned for April 2020, while Day 2’s CBS-focused event substituted for the annual Carnegie Hall event. Last year, ViacomCBS streamlined that into a single virtual event that highlighted the company’s combined content slate instead of individual brands. Almost all upfront week presenters return ViacomCBS is the fifth media company to set an in-person upfront week return. In October, Disney said it will leave its traditional Lincoln Center home and hold its upfront presentation on Tuesday, May 17 in “an all-new venue” that has not yet been announced. Fox will also be changing upfront locales for its May 16 event, exiting New York’s Beacon Theater for Skylight on Vesey. Additionally, the company will combine its entertainment, sports and news presentations—usually held separately—into a single event. WarnerMedia, meanwhile, will be back at the Hulu Theater at MSG for its presentation on Wednesday, May 18. And on Tuesday, NBCUniversal said it would return to Radio City Music Hall for an in-person upfront on Monday, May 16, and will also hold a Telemundo Celebration that night at the Ziegfeld Theatre. Only a couple of upfront week presenters—including Discovery and The CW —haven’t yet announced their plans for this year. However, Discovery is planning on holding an in-person event on Tuesday, May 17, if the company is able to safely do so. These will be the first in-person upfront week presentations since Covid-19 arrived in early 2020. Media companies took varying approaches to virtual upfront events in 2020—which were held over several months—but almost all of them returned to the usual upfront week schedule in May 2021, presenting virtual events in their typical slots on the upfront calendar.