Are the NewFronts at a crossroads?
Several big media companies, including AOL, BuzzFeed and Fullscreen, have either pulled out of the NewFronts or scaled back their plans considerably.
Even though others have signed on take their place—including the BBC and LittleThings—some digital media executives are beginning to question whether the marathon of presentations to advertisers have lived up to their initial promise.
The NewFronts were created in 2012 as digital media’s answer to the TV upfronts, the annual week of festivities when channels try to secure advertising commitments for their upcoming slate of programming. Since then, the top companies in digital media have been hosting splashy sales presentations in New York each spring, trying to create an ad buying marketplace for web video series and ideally get advertisers to shift their budgets away from TV.
Doug Ray, president of product and innovation at Dentsu Aegis Network, said that when the NewFronts were started, big marketers needed help understanding the web video marketplace. That mission has largely been accomplished, he said, particularly as giant platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Snapchat have become video powerhouses.
Read more:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-some-media-companies-are-pulling-back-on-the-newfronts-1492768800
