Avoiding some, but not all, strike issues
In addition to having less one-on-one time with clients at their events, upfront week presenters will also have to deal with a new obstacle: the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. WGA picketers already targeted NewFronts events last week, including Peacock’s presentation, and more protests are planned for upfront week.
“We did not anticipate that timing, obviously, when we made the decision,” Halley told Adweek. “That absolutely is going to be super challenging for our peers.”
Paramount CEO Bob Bakish recently commented on the strike during a company earnings call, saying “there’s a pretty big gap” between the studios’ and WGA’s demands, so the company is prepared with “content in the can” if it becomes an extended endeavor. And while the strike didn’t upend Paramount’s upfront presentations, it is likely to impact upfront talks.
“We’re doing scenario planning, and nobody knows how long it’s gonna last. And that obviously is the big question. Its impact is directly related to its duration,” Halley said, talking about how the strike could affect negotiations. “As Bob put it on the call, there is a bit of a gap, and we’re hopeful that it gets resolved quickly. But, like anything else, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”
I don’t think in all these years people have really asked clients and agency partners what they actually think about the upfront week itself, and it turns out, a lot of them don’t like it,
John Halley, Paramount ad sales chief
In addition to the strike, the industry is dealing with other disruptions around this year’s upfront, including an uncertain economic climate and continued fragmentation of viewing. Paramount has “unified representation of all of our assets under an organization that’s focused on the agency,” Halley told Adweek.
“Each agency has one dedicated team that is committed to delivering convergent solutions based on the agency and the client data and infrastructure preferences—not ours—in premium environments, at scale, with the most popular content in the business,” Halley said. “We’re going to get through all these challenges through partnerships and working closely. It’s something we’ve got to do together.”
No (Yellow)stone unturned
Regarding its upcoming slate, Paramount is touting CBS series such as Ghosts and FBI; Paramount+ titles such as Wolf Pack and Star Trek Picard; and Taylor Sheridan’s growing “Taylorverse” of shows, including Yellowstone, which Paramount said last week will end following Season 5’s conclusion later this year, leading into a new spinoff from the franchise that is set to debut in December.
