Do the upfronts still matter?

The upfronts, once the pinnacle of the advertising calendar, are facing challenges due to changing audience behaviors and the emergence of streaming platforms. While they still hold some importance, advertisers, particularly those under 35, view the traditional model as outdated. With viewers increasingly diverging from linear TV, commitment to annual advertising inventory is seen as less viable. Brands and networks must now adapt, finding new ways to engage audiences flexibly and discard the predictability that once characterized media purchasing.

To stay relevant, the upfronts must evolve. For anyone under 35, the concept of committing millions to ad inventory a year in advance probably sounds like a relic of another era.

Fast forward to today, and the cracks in that model are glaring. With the rise of streaming platforms and changing audience habits, the question is: 'Do upfronts still matter?'

The simplicity of earlier advertising gave everyone—audiences, brands, and networks—the ability to plan, execute and optimize campaigns with a high degree of certainty.

While upfronts are not dead, they are not what they used to be either, as the advertising landscape demands a flexible strategy in a fragmented platform environment.

Read at Marketing Dive