Final yr’s upfront week marked the primary time in two years that the promoting group had gathered in individual. However whereas all the different upfront week presenters had reside occasions, Fox’s presentation largely consisted of pre-recorded video.

This time round, the corporate is emphasizing the in-person aspect for its Monday upfront presentation, showcasing its providing of sports activities, leisure, information and streaming.

Marianne Gambelli, Fox’s president of advert gross sales, advertising and marketing and model partnerships, mentioned that 2022’s presentation planning occurred whereas Covid-19 restrictions have been nonetheless in place, and on condition that the corporate had beforehand had success with an all-virtual occasion, it minimized reside parts in favor of taped segments.

“We have been like, ‘Who’s going to return to New York? Who’s going to sit down in a room with 2,000 folks?’ Nicely, we have been fallacious,” Gambelli mentioned. “Individuals needed to sit down in a room with 2,000 folks. They needed what they knew. They needed to hang around with the expertise; they needed to see what was new and thrilling; and so they needed to see it in individual. So we wish to return to that and produce the reside aspect, the thrilling aspect, to it.”

That shift additionally promoted a venue swap for 2023, from Skylight on Vesey to The Manhattan Heart. Based on Gambelli, the venue will enable the corporate to host its presentation and its reception on the identical place whereas making a extra immersive expertise.

“The entire concept was to have all of it underneath one roof. And the venue has been redone. It’s lovely. It’s additionally centrally situated, however it allowed us a chance to play off plenty of various things,” Gambelli mentioned. “It was so essential to deliver folks again, and we felt that folks needed to be a part of it. It’s going to be extra immersive than you sitting in seats and anyone’s on a stage.”

‘Immune’ to financial uncertainty

Within the face of trade headwinds, Gambelli advised Adweek that Fox is poised to face any obstacles.

The Fox upfront occasion is a precedence for us, and is a crucial, significant time to interact with our promoting and model companions.

Marianne Gambelli, president of advert gross sales, advertising and marketing, model partnerships, Fox

As an illustration, the Writers Guild of America strike is now coming into its second week. Although late-night TV is feeling the quick results of the strike, the longer it goes on the extra it turns into a menace to delaying scripted packages.