This is continuing coverage of the 2022 TV network upfront interviews.
Marianne Gambelli, of Fox Networks, said that they mostly planned a virtual upfront presentation because of the continuing shut downs. She said they were trying to pivot and mentioned that live programs are not as important because there is a long tail for viewing from all of their different platforms. They are adjusting to the market with pent up demand and Gambelli said they are right where they should be. She said they like that they don’t have a streaming service because its very competitive and expensive so all their energy is focused on the advertiser and viewer. She said their Tubi Network is doing well.
Jo Ann Ross, of Paramount Pictures, was interviewed about their TV Upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall. She said they were happy to be back after the shut downs. She said that they still put up traditional TV schedules and that they are important to their audience. They also have Pluto and Paramount Plus. They like to put up sizzle reels on their website. One of their new shows is So Help me Todd. They have a lot of shows on cable and she said there is a depth and breadth to Paramount.
They are leaning more into streaming. She said they have two years of practice at Viacom CBS and have unified their sales team–broadcast, cable, and digital. They’ve seen a lot of growth with Pluto to 65 million users. They decided to rebrand as Paramount Plus. She said that client’s like their products which are multi-platform genres, sports, news, and entertainment. Their clients like to pick and choose and they like to focus on what the clients want and then adapt.
Ross said there is streaming competition growing with Disney+ and Netflix but that it just validates that they were right to get into the business. They got in and then rebranded. She said that this is part of the future and they were ahead of the curve.
