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The Interactive Advertising Bureau is beginning to take the wraps off its 2021 NewFronts week, slated to take place May 3-6.
And while it will be the second year in a row that the presentations will be held virtually due to the pandemic, the event will look a bit different this year, with the inclusion of six new presenters: A+E Networks, Amazon, Vizio, publisher Penske Media, broadcaster Entercom and Spanish-language media company Estrella Media.
In all, the IAB has signed up 24 media companies to present during the four-day lineup of presentations, which will be held from noon to 4 p.m. ET each afternoon. They include: A+E Networks (which already held its own virtual upfront event), Amazon, BBC News, BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Crackle Plus, Digitas, Ellen Digital, Entercom, Estrella Media, fuboTV, Meredith Corporation, Penske Media, Roku, Samsung Ads, Snap Inc., TikTok, Tubi, Twitter, Verizon Media, Vevo, Vice Media Group, Vizio and YouTube.
The official schedule, which will also feature insights sessions from various companies—which includes Channel Factory, GSTV, OpenAP, Oracle Advertising, Quantcast, Spectrum Reach, Tegna, and Tremor Video—has not yet been set. The IAB is still mum on other details about the event, even its host (HQ Trivia alum Scott Rogowsky served as emcee in 2020). But like last year’s presentation, the NewFronts will be streaming-heavy and will focus on the continued growth in the space. The thematic focus of this year’s presentations will be “Living the Stream.”
“Last year, the timing of the NewFronts was early enough in the pandemic to give us a glimpse into the rapid acceleration of streaming—but now we are fully a year into that acceleration and it has only gotten more pronounced,” IAB CEO David Cohen said. “The reality is that streaming is at the center of consumers’ video world, and that has been solidified over the past year.”
Hulu’s NewFronts exit
For the first time since the NewFronts began in 2008, Hulu—now operated by Disney—will not present during the week, but will instead be integrated into Disney’s upfronts presentation later in the month. Other no-shows this year compared to 2020’s somewhat dampened lineup include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Barstool Sports and the streaming service Vudu, which like a number of other companies dropped out of the presentations entirely last year after the event was postponed due to the pandemic.
The IAB has taken some steps since the 2020 NewFronts to continue to blend the NewFronts and upfronts to allow for a more streamlined planning process from buyers. The trade organization extended an invitation to linear television networks this year, and was able to get A+E Networks onboard.
“What we’re hearing from the buy-side, from agencies and brands, has come through very loud and clear: The lines of separation between traditional television and streaming and digital are fast eroding,” Cohen previously told Adweek. “All of the big traditional players have significant streaming components. If ever there was a time for a holistic video marketplace, that’s now.”
In that effort to continue streamlining, the IAB has also moved its annual podcast upfront, which normally takes place in the fall, to take place the week of May 11-13, the week following the virtual NewFronts.
The NewFronts, digital media’s complement to the annual upfronts season from broadcasters, saw an unexpectedly large audience last year since going virtual out of necessity. Last year, the week of presentations held in June attracted more than 14,000 brands, agencies and media buyers. The IAB is looking to top that this May.
“With first time presenters such as Amazon, A+E Networks, Penske Media, and more, we anticipate our largest audience ever,” Cohen said.
