The ritual repeats itself: the May Broadcast Upfronts in New York were last week. With a magnetic mecca of glamor, haloed by torrential showers and pollen, jostling with obsequious celebrities pitching their shows while being force-fed a seemingly endless conveyor belt of miniscule hors d’oeuvres, the Upfronts were served alongside a hearty dose of self-congratulations by the Big 5 networks.
Mullen's Brendan Marrese with the stars of "How I Met Your Mother"
For those unfamiliar with this mob scene, the Upfronts is that time of the year when television network executives host the start of important advertising sales periods, attended by both press and major advertisers. We are subjected to an endless onslaught of self-promotion, sometimes interminably interspersed with Fall Television trailers. It is so named because of its main purpose, to allow marketers to buy commercial airtime “upfront,” or several months before the television season begins in the Fall.
After three days, 44 new trailers and ever-escalating hyperbole, what truly distinguished this year from seasons past? A few themes emerged:
Social media is television’s friend – BFF, in fact – the mantra of the week. As ratings were not as affectionate this past year, many of the networks kept touting their number of Facebook “Likes” and Twitter followers – social media is now the new “water cooler.”
- Of all the networks that sang this tune, only the CW – the smallest of all five – “showed,” rather than “told.” It introduced an innovative collaboration with mobile LBS app Shopkick, featuring special giveaways when viewers activate its Sound Print technology and view commercials live on the CW Networks. The CW also thought up Cwingo: where viewers can play the game during a live broadcast, either on Facebook or cwtv.com, and have the opportunity to reap rewards by watching ads embedded in the game itself. This was an excellent effort to address engagement concerns.
- Ironically, Social Media also led to the premature leaking of all schedules on Twitter, in advance of the announcements – this, the networks blithely disregarded.
Conan O'Brien on stage at the 2011 broadcast upfronts
The Hollywood talent pool needs a strong dose of bleach: As in years past, some themes (or memes) never die:
- Familiar Period Pieces: ABC’s Pan Am, and NBC’s The Playboy Club hearkened the look and feel of AMC’s successful Mad Men franchise. ABC’s Charlie’s Angels epitomized the ’70s – likely the most visual, one-trick show that ad buyers secretly suspect will bomb (along with ABC’s cringe-worthy Bosom Buddies remake, Work It).
- Fairy Tale/Fantasy: Forget anemic ratings and aging demographics. Attendees were transported into the land of the twee (NBC’s Grimm, ABC’s Once Upon A Time, CW’s The Secret Circle). More mature attendees enjoyed various “Lost” doppelgangers (FOX’s Alcatraz, FOX’s Terra Nova, ABC’s The River, CBS’ A Gifted Man).
- Why outsource when you can “in source”: Networks – NBC, in particular – shamelessly shilled shows by stars with franchises across their properties – Chelsea Handler on NBC Primetime (Mid-Season) and E!; NBC’s Playboy Club, again with franchises on both nets; the TBD Brian Williams Show, featuring reporters from NBC News, CNBC and MSNBC.
- Women are now worthy: This year, there’s a bumper crop of shows with female leads. Kudos. Prime Suspect; Whitney; Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea; Charlie’s Angels; Two Broke Girls; New Girl; Revenge, etc. Some are even strong characters – better yet, some shows were even good.
Christina Aguilera performs at the 2011 broadcast upfronts
- Music is BIG: With The X-Factor on Fox leading the charge, NBC’s The Voice returning in mid-season, after making viewers endure a quarter of Sing-Off, and the new musical drama Smash, the Glee effect is now utterly ubiquitous.
- Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams are this season’s Jerry Bruckheimer, with shows on every network.
mediahub’s Prognostications:
- With an unprecedented amount of new programming in development, the networks are clearly hedging against a high failure rate.
- CBS will continue to dominate amongst all viewers, especially the older ones.
- FOX will continue to win amongst the key advertising demos.
- First to Go: ABC’s Work It (awful beyond words); Charlie’s Angels (just because Hawaii Five-O is popular does not make this vapid remake of slow-motion visuals a guaranteed success).
- Definite Winners: The X-Factor and Terra Nova on FOX are undisputed triumphs. That said, buzz on mid-season shows has been great, and NBC’s “Sliding Doors” — like Awake, and FOX’s Kiefer Sutherland vehicle, Touch seem to have warmed some cold, cynical hearts.
- The One to Watch: Two & A Half Men, with Ashton Kutcher – it may yet work, and his Twitter following could bring the median age of CBS down by at least 30 years.
