This year’s upfronts and NewFronts promise to be interesting. New consumer expectations are introducing and accelerating media channels, and forcing all sides to evolve at an increasingly quick clip.
Quality content will always find its way to a screen, but the way people are consuming that content is now radically different than it was ever a few years ago. And those changes in viewing behavior, in turn, are transforming the industry.
Here are three critical shifts that should guide planning for the 2024–2025 upfronts and NewFronts:
1. The convergence of linear and streaming TV is redefining the planning season
In a world where linear broadcast and cable represent roughly half (51.7%) of overall TV viewing, according to Nielsen data, the traditional TV season’s rule over the calendar may be shifting. Buyers and sellers will need to operate with more agility and flexibility.
The upfronts still have a critical role to play but perhaps not as a harbinger of the whole TV schedule anymore.
2. Your audience today isn’t the same as yesterday’s
The TV experience has new personalization potential, and now that people have an infinite aisle of programming options at their fingertips, age and gender gross rating points certainly don’t have the same pull.
Succeeding in tomorrow’s TV environment means striking the right balance of contextual, advanced targeting, and one-to-one advertising. It’s a new game.
3. Linear TV is big but it’s only half of the equation
People spend between 4.5 and 5 hours a day with linear TV (live, timeshifted, and streaming) per Nielsen, but they now spend just as much time with other media. We are entering the world of “convergent TV,” where the line of what is and isn’t considered TV blurs.
This means measurement silos and incompatibilities should be a thing of the past. Advertisers want to understand how their TV ad buys are performing not as standalone investments but in the context of their cross-media campaigns.
What can advertisers, agencies and media companies do to thrive in this new environment? Nielsen developed a planning guide that dives into the data and surfaces up programming and platform developments, key differences in audience behavior, and how the top industries are adapting their media strategies to meet today’s challenges.
To dig into each of these trends, read Nielsen’s “The Next Frontier: Your Guide to the 2024–2025 Upfronts NewFronts Planning Season” for audience insights, data analysis, and recommendations for marketers.