
NBC started its upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall with a video featuring many of its stars, consuming cocktails at a pre-upfront party. The gathering included Kristen Bell and Ted Danson of The Good Place, Howie Mandel of America's Got Talent, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb of Today, Debra Messing of Will & Grace, and a malfunctioning slow cooker from This Is Us.
Sean Hayes, star of Will & Grace, aimed to get the sedate assembly going.
It's so great to be contractually obligated to be here, he said.
Following a plug for Universal's next Mamma Mia movie, the gang then did a spoof of Here We Go Again about the upfronts, with Messing on piano. One line: It's the upfronts party/Andy Cohen is tardy.
Steve Burke
Steve Burke, NBCUniversal CEO, then took the stage, acknowledging the shameless self-promotion for the Mamma Mia movie. He said Here We Go Again was a fitting theme for Upfront Week.
We at NBCUniversal have never been more optimistic, Burke said, talking up the corporation's symphony approach to connecting with viewers.
After Burke stepped off stage, the gold medal-winning U.S. women's hockey team stepped on, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.
The presentation talked up sports' connection with viewers, a video showcasing the NFL, soccer and horse racing, among other sports. Telemundo has the 2018 World Cup and 2019 women's World Cup.
The presentation then shifted to E!, with Giuliana Rancic talking up the People's Choice Awards November 11, and Busy Phillips promoting her talk show Busy Tonight.
Next up was Syfy, with Christopher Meloni and Patton Oswalt of Happy. Trailers from Deadly Class and Nightflyers followed.
Telemundo followed, intro'd by a lively musical number. A trailer showed for drama Prisionero Numero Uno.
Andy Cohen, host of Watch What Happens Live, talked about what's coming up at Bravo, including big characters and noisy concepts.
Project Runway, he said, is returning to Bravo following its run on Lifetime. It's returning to its original home at Bravo, said Cohen.
Connie Britton and Eric Bana, stars of Dirty John, talked up their series, which premieres in the fall.
Oxygen was next. The Killing of Jessica Chambers was featured.
Then it was USA, which delivers unmatched scale, according to Mr. Robot star Christian Slater. Suits: Second City, Real Country and Treadstone had their trailers showed.
WWE's Stephanie McMahon talked wrestling. She spoke about a social media movement to feature more female wrestlers, and noted how WWE responded by featuring Divas in Wrestlemania. Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey then stepped on stage.
Pointing to the trio, McMahon said, This is hope. This is WWE.
News then got its moment to shine, with Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Megyn Kelly. No one else has the same scope and the breadth of talent that NBC does, said Holt, anchor of NBC Nightly News. He spoke about focusing on the human side of news.
Howie Mandel talked up Deal or No Deal on CNBC, before NBC got its turn an hour and ten minutes into the presentation.
Seth Meyers offered some comedy. NBC stands for Nothing But Chicago, he said.
Regarding NBC picking up Brooklyn Nine-Nine, It feels a little bit like NBC is fox's deadbeat friend, he said. Are you gonna finish that?
Speaking of the live Jesus Christ Superstar, he said, You know a network has some range when they have a black Jesus and Megyn Kelly.
Meyers took a moment to credit the shows not renewed, pilots not picked up, shows from the 90s not revived.
Of This Is Us, he noted an incredible rebranding for slow cookers.
Eric McCormack and Debra Messing of Will & Grace then stepped on stage to introduce new comedies. McCormack thanked viewers for the incredible response to the show's rebooting. Trailers from Abby's and I Feel Bad were shown.
Andy Samberg, star of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, said he was in the midst of an apology tour after NBC picked up the show, since he'd cursed out the network's execs when they passed on the show five years ago.
My heart is just full of love and gratitude, he said.
Alternative and reality then got their moment, with The Titan Games, Ellen's Game of Games, World of Dance, America's Got Talent and The Wall were among those getting showcased.
Got Talent champ Darci Lynn, a child ventriloquist, came out with a puppet of Simon Cowell, then introduced the real Simon. Cowell said he could not sell America's Got Talent 14 years ago, and credited NBC for its belief in the show. I really am eternally grateful, he said.
He noted how families tend to watch America's Got Talent together, a rarity in the modern age. Cowell also talked up the Champions edition of America's Got Talent, which will start in January.
Meyers then took the stage with several buttons on his shirt unbuttoned, an homage to Cowell.
Next up was This Is Us, as the cast stepped on stage. We so appreciate the incredible support from everyone in this room, said Susan Kelechi Watson, who plays Beth Pearson.
The Good Girls cast then talked about the fall season's dramas. Trailers showed for The Village, The Enemy Within, Manifest and New Amsterdam.
A video with Linda Yaccarino, NBC chairman of advertising and client partnerships, speaking to lawmakers on C-SPAN, then went down, before Yaccarino took the stage. Nothing moves people--and product-- like television, she said. Because nothing pushes people through that purchase funnel like television.
No company does television, she added, like NBCUniversal. She said NBCU is using A.I. to make advertising more contextually relevant, and talked up CFlight measurement.
Thank you to everybody for embracing this new higher standard in the industry, Yaccar
Most recent headlines
13/03/2025
WASHINGTON FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced that the agency has launched a massive, new deregulatory initiative that could potentially subject virtually all ...
13/03/2025
SUNNYVALE, Calif. SDVI has announced that it has integrated its Rally media supply chain management platform with the Spectra Vail multi-cloud data management s...
13/03/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted a waiver of its local ownership rules to permit Gray Media to acqu...
13/03/2025
TV Tech: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...
13/03/2025
Watch Student Naomi Soleils Folk Pop Performance on The Voice The songwriting major sang Stars by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals during the blind auditions.
...
13/03/2025
Bundle up - GeForce NOW is bringing a flurry of Blizzard titles to its ever-expanding library.
Prepare to weather epic gameplay in the cloud, tackling the genr...
13/03/2025
AI is leveling up the world's most beloved games, as the latest advancements...
13/03/2025
PC game modding is massive, with over 5 billion mods downloaded annually. Mods p...
12/03/2025
O Spotify acaba de lan ar o relat rio Loud & Clear deste ano, uma vis o transpar...
12/03/2025
Spotify acaba de presentar el informe Loud & Clear de este a o, una mirada trans...
12/03/2025
Ramadan, a period of profound spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide, is a time for fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Enrich your experience thi...
12/03/2025
Spotify has just unveiled this year's Loud & Clear report, a transparent loo...
12/03/2025
More than 70% of FAST programming has been produced since 2010, according to new Gracenote report
NEW YORK March 12, 2025 Gracenote, the content data busin...
12/03/2025
GEONA, Nev. Independent digital and linear advertising rep firm Viamedia will adopt cloud-based ShowSeeker Pilot as its primary ad campaign and order management...
12/03/2025
BRUSSELS Mediagenix has announced that Wael Yasin has joined the company as sales director Central Europe....
12/03/2025
LONDON A new study highlights opportunities for shoppable TV and the massive impact online consumer spending is having on the economy, with Omdia predicting tha...
12/03/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems has announced that Comcast Technology Solutions has integrated recent updates to BATON Version 9 into its operations....
12/03/2025
Nevion announces new 400G addition to its eMerge SDN media fabric offering
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
High-capacity switch enhances existi...
12/03/2025
DaVinci Resolve Studio Delivers Cinematic Sound for Adam Bol
Brie Clayton March 12, 2025
0 Comments
Feature film relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for ...
12/03/2025
SVT Leverages Ateliere Live to Pioneer 100% Software-Defined Production at Rally...
12/03/2025
Berklee Awards Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Grant to Four Organizations A total of $17,000 will be distributed among the Boston-based nonprofits.
By
Madd...
12/03/2025
TVBEuropes Jenny Priestley sits down with new SMPTE president Richard Welsh to discuss his aims for the organisation going forward, its efforts to attract a you...
12/03/2025
The new process has significantly enhanced operational efficiencies, with automation freeing up creators to concentrate on higher value tasks
By Matthew Corrig...
12/03/2025
Jellyfish Pictures, which has offices in London and Sheffield, said it has been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the last 12 months
By Jenny ...
12/03/2025
Visit Booth #W2213 to Experience the Latest in AI-Driven Content Discovery and Workflow Automation
Bitcentral, a leader in media workflow solutions, is set to ...
12/03/2025
CHICAGO Jeff Lilly has been named WGN-TV director of technology effective March 17, 2025, according to Ric Harris, WGN-TV vice president and general manager....
12/03/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. A new study from LG Ad Solutions indicates that consumers want more features that would allow them to shop for products on the connected T...
12/03/2025
BOTHELL, Wash. The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the Video Services Forum (VSF) will once again present...
12/03/2025
PHILADELPHIA Comcast announced that it has upgraded Xfinity Internet speeds for more than 20 million customers for no additional cost....
12/03/2025
Create with Maxon: Cinema 4D Fundamentals Workshop - March 12-14
Brie Clayton March 11, 2025
0 Comments
Makin' Waffles with Elly Wade
During Marc...
12/03/2025
Ottawa, Canada - March 12, 2025 - Ross Video is pleased to announce the appointment of Aaron Tunnell as Business Development Director, Cloud Solutions, reinforc...
12/03/2025
12 Mar 2025
VEON to release 4Q 2024 trading update on 20 March 2025 Dubai, 12 March 2025 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator, today confirms ...
12/03/2025
Getting set for the Winter Olympics: Inside SVT's ongoing software-based pro...
12/03/2025
THE PLAYERS Championship 2025: AI Commentary, Shared-Reality Viewing at COSM, La...
12/03/2025
Seamless SMPTE 2110: A Discussion on Making the Move to IP Less Painful Leaders from Netflix, Monumental Sports & Entertainment, LinkedI, and Megapixel address ...
12/03/2025
Opening Doors of Perception: Meta's Ajit Ninan on Rethinking AR/MR Perceptua...
12/03/2025
With the 2025 Formula 1 season set to begin in Melbourne on March 16, Sky Sports is gearing up to deliver its most comprehensive F1 coverage yet. Following a th...
12/03/2025
Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paraguay with Rohde & Schwarz ...
12/03/2025
Honoring Service, Celebrating Sport: Rohde & Schwarz UK Sponsors NavyFit Rugby D...
12/03/2025
New HVS-Q12 Represents a Quantum Leap in Switcher Design...
12/03/2025
Telespazio and ABS Expand Partnership to Deliver Tailored C-Band Connectivity So...
12/03/2025
ABC conducts independent audits across the TAG programs. In the March 2025 TAG s...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Moonlight: ESA program to create a satellite con...
12/03/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In 2025, Thales ranks among the top 0.01% of the...
12/03/2025
Consumer show back following hugely successful first series
10 March 2025 Following a hugely successful first series, The Complaints Bureau returns to RT ...
11/03/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
11/03/2025
Salsa is making a comeback, captivating new listeners with its infectious energy...
11/03/2025
For many people, music can serve as a reflection of their roots and upbringing. ...
11/03/2025
The solution delivers reliable, scalable and secure connectivity for critical pu...
11/03/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced that Weigel Broadcasting has deployed Harmonics VOS Media Software, which offers playout-to-delivery capabilities, inclu...