The CW is switching up its upfront presence for 2023.

Top line

Today, the network announced it is dropping its annual upfront week presentation in favor of a different presence during the advertising showcase.

In lieu of a formal presentation, the company will unveil its fall programming lineup in its usual Thursday morning timeslot on May 18. Rather than a large-scale event, the network will host a press breakfast at Park Lane Hotel in New York City, followed by a press conference with Dennis Miller, president of The CW Network, and Brad Schwartz, president of entertainment at The CW Network.

Between the lines

The CW has long been rumored to leave formal upfront week presentations, with parent company Nexstar previously announcing it’d hold an event in New York on April 25 for media buyers that would showcase the network, along with NewsNation, TheHill, Nexstar Digital and over 200 local stations.

Following the announcement of the April event, an in-person upfront week affair showcasing The CW became less likely.

With the news, The CW becomes the second major publisher to exit traditional upfront week presentations. Paramount previously announced it was withdrawing from its traditional Wednesday evening time slot at Carnegie Hall in favor of smaller meetings with clients and partners.

In addition to the fall lineup announcement, The CW will be hosting an intimate luncheon for the network’s affiliate owners at the Park Lane Hotel.

Bottom line

Besides Paramount and The CW forgoing large, formal presentations to marketers during May’s upfront week, the annual event has gone through several other changes in 2023.

Among the tweaks, Disney, Fox and TelevisaUnivision are all changing venues. Plus, YouTube and Netflix quickly filled Paramount’s vacated Wednesday evening slot.

Though The CW will have a presence through its fall lineup announcement during upfront week, YouTube and Netflix are now slated to close out formal presentations on Wednesday evening, May 17.