The return of big stars like Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart and Reese Witherspoon signaled that this year’s upfront presentations were already different from last year’s, which took place during the actors’ and writers’ strikes.

NBCUniversal made a big show of its live sports offerings, from more NFL games on Peacock, to 5,000 hours of Olympics coverage. Chris Brooklier and Travis Clark go inside the presentation, including why one of the company’s ad executives called out walled gardens and transparency.

Plus, Netflix officially announced it would carry two NFL games on Christmas for the first time ever. And we cover Fox, Disney and Amazon’s upfronts news.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• ‘We did not create another opaque walled garden’: NBCU touts transparency (and sports) at upfronts: https://www.thecurrent.com/nbcu-transparency-sports-upfronts
• Streaming takes over the upfronts with Netflix's NFL news and the Great Rebundling: https://www.thecurrent.com/streaming-upfronts-netflix-sports-news-amazon
• Netflix Says Ad Tier Has 40M Users, Plans to Bring Ad Tech In-House in Shift From Microsoft: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-ad-tier-update-40m-users-shift-from-microsoft-1235900301/
• Appointment TV isn’t dead. It’s making a comeback on streaming platforms: https://www.thecurrent.com/appointment-tv-streaming-platforms
• Inside the Amazon Upfront: An A-List Gauntlet Is Thrown: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/reese-witherspoon-legally-blonde-series-amazon-upfront-road-house-1235898610/
• Amazon VP Alan Moss Tells Advertisers At Tech Giant’s First Upfront That Putting Ads On Prime Video “Connected The Dots Across Our Universe”: https://deadline.com/2024/05/amazon-upfront-mike-hopkins-paul-kotas-streaming-advertising-1235915381/
• FOX UPFRONT—BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM ITS PITCH TO ADVERTISERS: https://adage.com/article/special-report-tv-upfront/fox-upfront-super-bowl-fox-news-and-tubi-ad-tech-focus/2560281?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D89208624261719825302994803284811687283%7CMCORGID%3D138FFF2554E6E7220A4C98C6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1715759528&CSAuthResp=1%3A%3A5845844%3A150997699%3A24%3Asuccess%3A2BCE6ADF5CE781A1B82431616F540DC8
• Inside the Fox Upfront: Tom Brady, the F-Word and Jamie Foxx in the Flesh: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tom-brady-jamie-foxx-f-word-fox-upfront-1235898098/
• The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

It’s upfronts week, with many of the big TV networks, from Fox to Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal hosting their annual presentations. Streaming giants Netflix and Amazon are also joining the festivities.

Measurement is emerging as an important part of this upfronts season, as advertisers are searching for more than just scale — they want to tie measurement and attribution data back to business results — meaning there is a bigger focus on the full loop from reach to conversion. Add in Nielsen, Comscore, VideoAmp and ISpot all jockeying to be the dominant measurement currency and there’s a lot to talk about.

Blockgraph co-founder and CEO Jason Manningham joins The Current Report to break it all down, plus how identity fits into the conversation and if there will ever be dominant walled gardens within the streaming space.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• Retail data is entering the upfronts as measurement gets more important: https://bit.ly/3U7a1gY
• How streaming consolidation could impact future upfront deals: https://bit.ly/4biGeZ1
• Future of TV Briefing: Upfront ad sellers prep performance-based pitches to address ad buyers’ ROI obsession: https://bit.ly/3UV0EkV
• NBA Hunger Games Enter the Fourth Quarter: https://bit.ly/4dCyCCk
• TV upfronts and Newfronts calendar: https://bit.ly/4dyoRVD

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0wR

It's an election year in the U.S., meaning ad dollars will be flowing in.

Past news just being a cornerstone of our society, news publishers and the IAB are making the case that advertising alongside news has positive business consequences.

This week on The Current Report, IAB CEO David Cohen dives into why that message resonates with marketers.

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To read the full stories included in this episode:

• The IAB NewFronts puts a spotlight on news publishers and women's sports in a critical year for both: https://bit.ly/3WpW0Nf
• Ford's Chief Futurist imagines how AI could grow the relationship between drivers and their cars: https://bit.ly/3JL5ivI
• IPG Media Brands, U.S. Ad Forecast Spring 2024: https://bit.ly/3UMFVQg
• MAGNA Raises its growth forecast for US ad market: https://bit.ly/3yfpoLS

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The Current Report is our weekly news roundup of what’s happening in the world of digital media. We headline topical stories every edition — everything from connected TV to retail media networks to new initiatives around identity — offering our fresh take on why it's relevant for the marketing community. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/45HIaXH

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Each week, The Current gives you the most critical innovations in advertising that are happening on the open internet — identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond. Born inside The Trade Desk, The Current is a news platform dedicated to covering the latest in modern marketing — all from the front lines. Speaking to the marketing world’s most influential players, we explain what these seismic shifts mean, how they are happening, and why they are taking place: https://bit.ly/3SAM0w