We felt the stage was so saturated with GOATs, if you wish to name them [laughs].

Certain, there have been GOATs everywhere in the stage.

Possibly we’ll save that GOAT for subsequent yr.

You additionally made some extent on stage that you simply didn’t cancel. You’re doing this stay and in individual. Nonetheless, different presenters did go digital. Was that ever a part of the dialog?

It was by no means a part of the dialog. We did digital final yr, and I believed the digital present went very effectively, however I feel individuals actually missed the stay ingredient. So we went all in. We wished to make this immersive. We wished to make this extra enjoyable, extra inclusive. So we had been at all times going to try this it doesn’t matter what.

That was deliberate, and I’m glad we caught with it, to be sincere with you. And I feel our format, as a result of we had the combination of social gathering and presentation, we may have tailored the presentation any manner, whereas our opponents possibly couldn’t have as a result of they had been in a seated area, and so they needed to go along with the total presentation.

With out lots of the leisure expertise to assist that, it might need been tougher for them to drag off displays. So it really labored. We had been in a position to regulate roughly on the final minute due to the venue and the way in which we had set it up.

What are you able to share about negotiations and the way the strike impacts issues? Lots of people are interested by a second-half rebound within the economic system, however the place do issues stand?

I feel everyone’s within the analysis mode proper now. There’s plenty of decisions. I feel the strike has simply put a bit of little bit of a slowdown on it. I feel Nielsen pulling again on the massive knowledge and their measurement has modified issues. So I feel everyone’s in a pause second proper now. We’ll get by way of this week. Persons are attempting to see what’s on the market, attempting to guage what the strike plans could be, how lengthy it will occur. They need to consider all of the OTT or CTV choices, how they’re going to place it collectively.

So I really feel prefer it slowed issues down the place there was lots of exercise earlier than the strike, and clearly the Nielsen dialog. Shoppers are additionally cautious in regards to the economic system. So that they’re a bit of reluctant to commit shortly. All the pieces is being rethought proper now however, sure, you’re proper. We’re all predicting the second-half restoration.

With the writers strike, you might even see a lack of GRPs, which I don’t suppose anyone anticipated. So which will imply shoppers won’t get their cash down the place they need it. I feel all that’s being considered proper now.