Monday, May 18, 2020

ViacomCBS Shifts Upfronts to Two-Day Series of 'Short, Virtual' Pitches

The sprawling ViacomCBS network portfolio will have a two-day virtual upfront for advertisers on Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19, shifting to the week after the traditional CBS upfront had been scheduled before COVID-19 (coronavirus) struck.


Viacom’s brands across its Entertainment & Youth and Kids & Family units, plus BET and Pluto TV, will present on May 18. CBS, including streaming service CBS All Access, will have its turn on May 19 and plans to unveil “the fall programming lineup” for the broadcast network, though the grid has been a work in progress given the pandemic’s disruptions.

“I planned to be – and frankly, I’d rather be – writing to you this time of year to invite you to one of our intimate upfront dinners or our annual celebration at Carnegie Hall,” ViacomCBS sales chief Jo Ann Ross wrote in a note to advertisers. “Clearly, the current climate is different, but as they say at Carnegie, the show must go on!”

Instead of splashy live events, ViacomCBS now plans “a series of short virtual presentations,” Ross added.

The entire spring calendar, usually teeming with dozens of pitch events as linear and digital content purveyors try to entice buyers, has been thrown into uncertainty. There is the near-term safety issue of trying to gather together large groups over shrimp cocktail and the longer-term economic uncertainty, which is already seeing a pullback across every ad category. NBCUniversal plans an “update” event on May 11 designed to brief media buyers and the press about the state of its ad-supported efforts. Disney and Fox have not indicated any plans for upfront substitutes but sellers have all ramped-up one-on-one contact with buyers. There is broad speculation that the conventional, September-to-May upfront cycle will give way to a more incremental one or a calendar-year approach.

The CBS upfront, held for years at Carnegie Hall and often featuring waggish feats of showmanship by Ross, has long been a ritual commingling of those working in TV and advertising. Given the long run of CBS as the No. 1 broadcast network, the event was closely tracked and also has hosted its share of drama. At the May 2018 edition, former CEO Les Moonves sought to ignore the welter of mounting internal pressure from the investigations into his conduct. In a surprise appearance, he was greeted with a standing ovation by ad buyers and declared victory in a legal fight with Shari Redstone, his most high-profile bow before being ousted from the company.

Given the prominence of the CBS upfront, the network proved to be a rarity during the recent weeks of COVID-19 reshuffling, preserving May 13 (the original date for the in-person event) as the virtual one.

Viacom has never grouped together its upfronts, instead spreading them across the calendar, and often hosting splashy affairs for Nickelodeon and MTV. In recent years, as advertising patterns have shifted, Viacom and other cable programmers held fewer upfront events.

Worth noting as elements of both days are streaming outlets Pluto TV (May 18) and CBS All Access (May 19). While Viacom has previously taken part in the NewFronts showcase for digital platforms, it has not had a discrete event for Pluto, which it bought in 2019. CBS has increasingly been pushing All Access, giving it dedicated real estate in venues like TCA, but the service never tended to get much stage time at Carnegie Hall despite having launched in 2015. Combined with Showtime, CBS All Access is on pace to reach 16 million subscribers by the end of 2020, ViacomCBS has said.

Here is the full letter to clients from Ross:

"I hope this note finds you, your families and your teams well. We know that several of our friends in the industry have felt the impact of Covid-19 both professionally and personally and we are here to support you however we can.

I planned to be – and frankly, I’d rather be – writing to you this time of year to invite you to one of our intimate upfront dinners or our annual celebration at Carnegie Hall. Clearly, the current climate is different, but as they say at Carnegie, the show must go on!

Since we know most of you continue to work remotely and we want to be mindful of your time, the “ViacomCBS Upfront @Home” will be a series of short virtual presentations over the course of two days.

On Monday, May 18, we will present many of the combined assets and leading solutions from ViacomCBS that are now at your disposal, in addition to a first look at compelling content opportunities across our Entertainment & Youth and Kids & Family brands, BET, Pluto TV and our robust digital offerings.

On Tuesday, May 19, we will unveil the fall programming lineup of the CBS Television Network – America’s Most-Watched Network for 12 years in a row – and original programming from CBS All Access, our premium subscription video-on-demand platform. We’ll also preview exciting opportunities from CBS Sports, including Super Bowl LV, and highlight the powerful and important work being done by our colleagues at CBS News.

Our newly integrated team across ViacomCBS has come together even more quickly than I could have expected despite the pressure of extenuating circumstances. This incredible progress gives me optimism for the days ahead. We have already achieved what we hoped to accomplish in bringing our sales organizations together – one team with a unified mission to provide you with the most powerful, seamless advertising solutions in the industry.

We are simply stronger together. More premium programming and culture-defining franchises spanning every content category… distributed across more complementary platforms…with more creative and sophisticated capabilities and more digital inventory… to help you connect to all of your consumers with our massive reach across every audience.

And most importantly, we’re here for you whenever you’re ready. The ViacomCBS Ad Sales team will collaborate with you on your timeline to adapt your strategies, engage your consumers on the platforms they love most, amplify your messages and achieve your business goals.

As I’ve said to many of you over these past weeks and months, thank you for your enduring partnership during this unprecedented time. We’re proud of the important role we play together, and we look forward to sharing our valuable offerings with you soon.

Stay tuned for an update next week with details on how and when to tune in to our ViacomCBS upfront website to join the virtual presentations.

Until then, wishing you safety and good health.

Jo Ann"

Original source: Deadline.

From Variety:

ViacomCBS Plans Two Virtual ‘Upfront@Home’ Presentations

At a time when many TV companies have appeared wary of talking to advertisers, ViacomCBS believes it will have plenty to discuss.

The newly merged company, which encompasses the CBS broadcast network as well as cable outlets like Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and MTV, plans to hold two different streaming-video presentations for advertisers – one for its cable and streaming operations on Monday, May 18 and one for the CBS network as well as the subscription-video “CBS All Access” hub on Tuesday, May 19. The details were unveiled in a letter to advertisers and media-buying executives sent by Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer at ViacomCBS.

“I planned to be – and frankly, I’d rather be – writing to you this time of year to invite you to one of our intimate upfront dinners or our annual celebration at Carnegie Hall,” said Ross, making a reference to CBS annual tradition of unveiling its new programming at that location each May. “Clearly, the current climate is different, but as they say at Carnegie, the show must go on!”

ViacomCBS is one of several major U.S. media companies grappling with how to talk to Madison Avenue at a time when the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has thrown many plans into disarray and fogged many corporations’ business outlooks. Many advertisers – particularly those in the travel, movie and automotive categories – are trying to navigate a climate in which consumers shelter at home and in which vast amounts of consumer spending has been curtailed. While some TV sponsors have indicated they are ready to make advertising commitments now, as one would do in a typical market, others are pressing for a sales process to take place in September or October, when they can make purchases for 2021.

The company may have more to say about programming than previously expected. She said ViacomCBS plans to “unveil the fall programming lineup of the CBS Television Network” on May 19 along with original CBS All Access programs, and offerings from CBS News and CBS Sports, including its scheduled 2021 broadcast of Super Bowl LV. Much TV production has shut down as state governments have called for a halt to large business and social gatherings.

The former Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp. merged late last year, and has been under Wall Street scrutiny since that time as investors consider the performance of some of the Viacom cable outlets. The merger has brought layoffs to venues including Comedy Central, and there have been indications the company is rethinking the organization of the unit that houses many of its cable networks. Advertisers are likely to be curious what sorts of cross-venue ad packages might be available and whether CBS will be able to make use of several audience-targeting technologies that have become a larger part of Viacom’s offering in recent years.

As the scope of the coronavirus spread became better understood in March, all the major media companies scuttled their regular upfront presentations. Those glitzy showcases usually take place in mid-May and bring together advertisers, talent agencies, programming executives and actors in a week stuffed with celebrations and spark weeks of negotiations over billions of dollars in advertising. ViacomCBS had previously planned its Carnegie Hall showcase for May 14.

Other TV companies have also made plans to hold streaming-video presentations, including NBCUniversal and Univision.

###

From The Hollywood Reporter:

ViacomCBS Schedules Two-Day, Remote Upfront

The media conglomerate's presentation will include the unveiling of CBS' primetime schedule for fall 2020.
ViacomCBS on Tuesday announced plans for a virtual upfront, becoming the first media conglomerate to go ahead with something resembling a full-fledged presentation to advertisers.

In a memo to clients and partners, chief advertising revenue officer Jo Ann Ross detailed plans for "a series of short virtual presentations" showcasing the company's assets on May 18 and 19. The "ViacomCBS Upfront @ Home" will take place a few days later than what would have been CBS' traditional upfront on May 13. That show at New York's Carnegie Hall, along with all other traditional, in-person gatherings for upfronts week, was called off in March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

"I planned to be — and frankly, I’d rather be — writing to you this time of year to invite you to one of our intimate upfront dinners or our annual celebration at Carnegie Hall," Ross wrote (read the full memo, below). "Clearly, the current climate is different, but as they say at Carnegie, the show must go on!"

ViacomCBS follows NBCUniversal and Univision in scheduling presentations to the advertising community in mid-May. Both of those companies, however, stressed that their presentations are not remote upfronts, but rather conversations about the state of the business in the wake of the pandemic. Both NBCU and Univision said they were still considering plans for more full-fledged upfronts later.

The May 18 presentation will spotlight the combined assets of the recently merged ViacomCBS and present content from the company's cable portfolio, streaming platform Pluto TV and other digital assets. On May 19, the CBS broadcast network will announce its schedule for fall, and CBS All Access, CBS News and CBS Sports will also showcase their programming.

Ross' memo to clients follows.

Dear Valued Clients and Partners:

I hope this note finds you, your families and your teams well. We know that several of our friends in the industry have felt the impact of COVID-19 both professionally and personally and we are here to support you however we can.

I planned to be — and frankly, I’d rather be — writing to you this time of year to invite you to one of our intimate upfront dinners or our annual celebration at Carnegie Hall. Clearly, the current climate is different, but as they say at Carnegie, the show must go on!

Since we know most of you continue to work remotely and we want to be mindful of your time, the “ViacomCBS Upfront @Home” will be a series of short virtual presentations over the course of two days.

On Monday, May 18, we will present many of the combined assets and leading solutions from ViacomCBS that are now at your disposal, in addition to a first look at compelling content opportunities across our Entertainment & Youth and Kids & Family brands, BET, Pluto TV and our robust digital offerings.

On Tuesday, May 19, we will unveil the fall programming lineup of the CBS Television Network — America’s Most-Watched Network for 12 years in a row — and original programming from CBS All Access, our premium subscription video-on-demand platform. We’ll also preview exciting opportunities from CBS Sports, including Super Bowl LV, and highlight the powerful and important work being done by our colleagues at CBS News.

Our newly integrated team across ViacomCBS has come together even more quickly than I could have expected despite the pressure of extenuating circumstances. This incredible progress gives me optimism for the days ahead. We have already achieved what we hoped to accomplish in bringing our sales organizations together — one team with a unified mission to provide you with the most powerful, seamless advertising solutions in the industry.

We are simply stronger together. More premium programming and culture-defining franchises spanning every content category... distributed across more complementary platforms... with more creative and sophisticated capabilities and more digital inventory... to help you connect to all of your consumers with our massive reach across every audience.

And most importantly, we’re here for you whenever you’re ready. The ViacomCBS Ad Sales team will collaborate with you on your timeline to adapt your strategies, engage your consumers on the platforms they love most, amplify your messages and achieve your business goals.

As I’ve said to many of you over these past weeks and months, thank you for your enduring partnership during this unprecedented time. We’re proud of the important role we play together, and we look forward to sharing our valuable offerings with you soon.

Stay tuned for an update next week with details on how and when to tune in to our ViacomCBS upfront website to join the virtual presentations.

Until then, wishing you safety and good health.

Jo Ann

###

From Forbes:

ViacomCBS To Hold A Two-Day Virtual Upfront

As the Covid-19 pandemic putting the advertising and media communities on hold, the newly reunited ViacomCBS announced they would be holding a streaming video upfront over two days (May 18 and May 19). The first day of the “ViacomCBS Upfront @ Home” will be used to tout their cable properties such as MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon as well as Pluto TV. The following day will the virtual upfront will be spent promoting the CBS Network and streaming CBS All Access. For years the annual CBS presentation had been held at Carnegie Hall and was one of the highlights of upfront week. The CBS upfront was then followed by a gala reception where CBS talent intermingled with ad buyers over jumbo shrimp.

In an note to advertisers, JoAnne Ross, the head of sales at ViacomCBS told advertisers, “I’d rather be – writing to you this time of year to invite you to one of our intimate upfront dinners or our annual celebration at Carnegie Hall. Clearly, the current climate is different, but as they say at Carnegie, the show must go on!” The virtual upfront comes at a time when many marketers, in the wake of the pandemic, have been cutting back on their ad budgets. The ViacomCBS has also been financially impacted by the pandemic, the 2020 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, one of the programming highlights of the year was cancelled for the first time in its 81-year history.

The upfront is also important since this is the first one since Viacom and CBS were reunited. It would present to advertisers all the assets ViacomCBS has at its disposal as it competes for ad dollars with Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Disney and AT&T’s WarnerMedia and other. In addition, the upfront traditionally coincides with the end of the broadcast season in late May. CBS and the other networks use the upfront to promote their ratings accomplishments in front of advertisers set to invest billions of dollars into the ad marketplace.

For years, CBS has had of the most stable programming lineups in television. Ross will certainly highlight that CBS has renewed 23 of their programs for the upcoming 2020-21 season, accounting for 80% of their schedule. This familiarity will be beneficial to advertisers. In 2019-20 CBS is set to be the most watched television network for the 12th straight season and the top-rated network in daytime and late-night dayparts. CBS will also televise Super Bowl LV scheduled for February 2021.

Another component of the upfront presentations has been the power of television to build reach and brand awareness. As more ad dollars are being allocated to digital properties (most notably Google and Facebook), the television networks have been mentioning brand safety, viewability and click fraud that has raised concerns with Madison Avenue ad buyers. The networks will also promote their video streaming services to keep ad dollars in-house. In addition, the networks have been using data companies to point out television is just as potent as digital media with brand consideration and purchase intent.

The third and component of the upfront is the programming schedule and strategy for the upcoming season. In typical years, the network executives will have made decisions on what pilots they plan to pick up for the new season. With production such down across all scripted and unscripted in mid-March, the it will be difficult to put together a program lineup. CBS executives may opt to treat the virtual upfront as a program development meeting in which they could tell advertisers what new shows they are considering whenever production resumes. CBS may also look at Zoom as a vehicle to film programs. The network recently used Zoom for the season finale of its first-year legal drama All Rise. In any event it's new territory.

It is doubtful that CBS can move the upfront ad marketplace that collectively garnered about $9 billion for broadcast television with another $11 billion going to cable. What moves the television ad market is fear of missing out (FOMO) with marketers. Those advertisers that miss the upfront will typically pay a premium rate with the quarterly scatter marketplace.

Despite the success of CBS, rival networks will also have their own upfronts to move the ad buying negotiations forward. Through the years, the upfront ad buying market has been financially beneficial to the networks, despite losing viewers virtually every year for decades.

One thought is fourth quarter will be scatter and the upfronts will start in first quarter 2021. Many advertisers would like to have a Fall upfront since it's probably closer to their fiscal year. Pushing the upfront marketplace to the Fall makes sense, especially with year-round original content coming from their new streaming video partners instead of an antiquated broadcast season.

Since ViacomCBS has so many media properties with advertising opportunities, having a two-day virtual upfront may make sense going forward. It would allow ViacomCBS (as well as Disney, NBCUniversal and others) time to promote their entire content portfolio to the ad marketplace. Something that could not be done in a star studded 90-minute presentation.

In any event, there could be a number of businesses altered by Covid-19, perhaps the television upfronts will be one of them.

###

From Variety:

ViacomCBS Aims to Hook Hesitant Advertisers on Wider Media Array

ViacomCBS, on the hunt for advertising dollars in a difficult economic moment, plans to take two shots at its target.

The recently-merged company later today will offer a look at its various cable properties to media buyers and advertisers, and on Tuesday will debut the fall schedule for its CBS broadcast network. The two video presentations will be sent via email to clients and are designed to whet appetites on Madison Avenue, says Jo Ann Ross, the company’s president and chief U.S. advertising revenue officer, in an interview. The pitch holds that with the company’s reach, which extends from Trevor Noah to “NCIS,” ViacomCBS offerings can’t be ignored.

The media conglomerate, which owns CBS, Showtime and Nickelodeon, among other media outlets, is testing a different tactic than others approaching advertisers during a fraught season for the industry’s annual “upfront” market. NBCUniversal and Univision asked clients last week to gather at a particular time to watch a streamed presentation. ViacomCBS is making its information available on demand.

“We will have different portals available, so you can go whenever – look at research, programming – at your leisure and as you please,” says Ross, who was named to lead U.S. ad sales for the combined company in the fall of last year. “We want it to be snackable, so you can say, ‘I have 20 to 25 minutes, let me check it out.’ We will have deeper dives available that go into our innovations and capabilities and advanced advertising options.”

Like its rivals, ViacomCBS faces an uncertain advertising market, with several major classes of sponsors pulling back commercial spend due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ross says she is seeing signs that buying activity is starting to improve. “Clients who may have had supply-chain issues, or distribution issues – more than a handful of those clients are reactivating, so to speak – if they took money back, they are coming back into the marketplace,” she says. “As the country reopens, I am optimistic looking forward we will be seeing some of the first stirrings from some of those major categories that were being more cautious.”

ViacomCBS’ backers have long hoped the combination of the two predecessor companies’ properties would lure new ad deals and spending, and Ross says the two presentations this week will aim to show advertisers what is available to them. “We have something in every content category, whether it is news, or sports or general entertainment,” she says. And based on individual client’s interest or marketing goals, she says ViacomCBS will work on “threading the needle,” or helping advertisers find their most likely customers across the company.

To further emphasize the broader company, the videos shown on both days will rely on talent from across the portfolio. “You will see talent from CBS partnered with talent from our cable channels in fun ways,” says Ross. “It’s going to be different.”

###

From Variety:

ViacomCBS Leaders Talk M&A, ‘Green Shoots’ in Ad Sales and Streaming at Annual Meeting

ViacomCBS president and CEO Bob Bakish told investors on Monday that the company feels no urgency to pursue any major acquisitions at present.

During ViacomCBS’ 40-minute annual meeting of shareholders, Bakish also said the TV giant is starting to see “green shoots” in the scatter advertising marketplace. And he talked up the growth in usage of the newly combined Viacom and CBS Corp. streaming platforms and promised that a major overhaul of the CBS All Access subscription platform is coming to incorporate more ViacomCBS brands.

On the subject of M&A, Bakish was clear. “There are no must-have assets out there for us in the landscape,” Bakish said, promising to be both “highly disciplined and highly opportunistic” in evaluating options that might arise.

“You should not expect us to do material deals in the current environment,” he said.

Shari Redstone, non-executive chairman of ViacomCBS, vociferously reiterated her support for Bakish and the management team that has been solidified in the five months since the merger closed in early December. ViacomCBS shares had already been battered in 2018 and 2019 by corporate turmoil, and then the COVID-19 shock sent the price plummeting further.

“We totally believe the stock is dramatically undervalued,” Redstone said during the Q&A session of the meeting, which was held remotely via webcast given the coronavirus lockdown. “The market is looking for us to prove that we can execute on our strategy. I’m confident we will do so more quickly than anyone expects.”

ViacomCBS shares were up 7% in early trading Monday to around $18.50 amid a broader rally for major U.S. indices. Shares are down 64% for the year to date. ViacomCBS is not alone in seeing double-digit declines. But the lack of shareholder bellyaching about the stock price during the Q&A portion of the meeting underscores Redstone’s firm control of nearly 80% of the voting rights in ViacomCBS.

Bakish and Redstone reiterated the company’s focus on studios, networks and streaming as outlined last week on the quarterly earnings call. He cited the “milestone growth” in recent weeks for Pluto TV, the ad-supported streaming platform, and CBS All Access.

“Our growing scale, audience reach and earnings power will become even more evident as the market rebounds,” Bakish said. Pluto TV is serving as a “massive free front door” to help funnel paying customers to the subscription CBS All Access and Showtime streaming platforms.

Advertising sales were hammered during the first quarter period by the sudden coronavirus lockdown. National broadcast has held up the best, followed by cable and digital. The weakest numbers are found at the local level among ViacomCBS’ 28 O&O stations, Bakish said.

Bakish said ViacomCBS’ sales corps is seeing improvement in scatter ad sales activity compared to April. “We’re seeing some green shoots in advertising but we continue to need to manage through it,” he said.

Bakish repeatedly emphasized that the combination of Viacom and CBS Corp. is helping the company compete with its larger rivals as it has more to offer key constituencies such as ad buyers and MVPDs.

“One of our largest clients recently came to market with Q2 scatter dollars. We know we got the largest share,” Bakish said.

Among other highlights from the meeting:

** ViacomCBS’ annual content spending bill of $13 billion “puts us in a very small club,” Bakish said. The company is in the process of scrutinizing that content tab and looking to “fund that investment growth by shifting dollars from lower-growth sectors,” he said.

** The addition of 120 film titles from the Paramount Pictures library to the CBS All Access offering has already yielded “significant increases in engagement” among All Access subscribers. A user-interface overhaul is coming to CBS All Access this summer, followed later by a “transformative rebrand and relaunch” of the pay service, Bakish said.

** Bakish talked up ViacomCBS’ long-term relationship with the NFL in response to a question about whether the price tag for a new NFL rights deal may spiral beyond the realm of profitability for the company. The CEO pointed to a recent pact with the NFL that gives CBS an extra wildcard playoff game to carry on broadcast TV and CBS All Access in the coming NFL season, as well as the agreement to produce a special broadcast of the game aimed for kids that will air on Nickelodeon. “That’s an example of the kind of things we can do to create incremental value for the NFL,” he said.

** Redstone made a brief mention of the company starting to “contemplate return to work scenarios” for employees but did not elaborate, nor were there questions from shareholders about a timetable.

** Redstone opened the meeting with a tribute to longtime Simon & Schuster CEO Carolyn Reidy, who died May 12 of a heart attack at age 71. “She led with strength, kindness and humor and will be missed by all who knew her,” Redstone said.

###

From AdAge:

VIACOMCBS VIDEO UPFRONT: LATE-NIGHT HOSTS MAKE SAME JOKES, BUT FROM HOME

Day one presentation focused on company's cable nets, highlighting Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central

ViacomCBS set out to answer the question: Can late-night hosts' jokes about data and targeting translate outside of Carnegie Hall?

The company released the first of its two-day virtual presentation on Monday, meant to serve as a substitute for its annual upfront dog-and-pony show, canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This is the first year ViacomCBS will be going to market as a combined company and, in an effort to promote its new capabilities, adopted the slogan "Simply Stronger.” (This created a perfect opportunity to utilize Britney Spears’ 2000 hit “Stronger.”)

Day one’s taped video focused on ViacomCBS’ cable networks, which include Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central.

For the kids watching alongside their parents at home, the video featured an interview between an animated Stephen Colbert and Chase from the Nickelodeon cartoon “Paw Patrol.” It also included appearances by JoJo Siwa (some of you may know her as the bow girl), and Iain Armitage, star of CBS’ “Young Sheldon,” talking about connected TV.

Sports, of course, is the biggest question mark for advertisers heading into the annual upfront haggle, with most live sports shut down due to the pandemic. The CBS Sports’ segment touched upon that uncertainty. “We got em all, let’s hope,” NFL announcer Jim Nantz said to NFL great Tony Romo, referring to CBS’ roster of sports, which include the PGA Tour, college football and Super Bowl LV.

In an interview with Ad Age, Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer, ViacomCBS, said, “We are in conversation [with advertisers] for February 2021," she said.

Of course there will be caveats. "Obviously there will be a big asterisk, the 'what if.' What if is isn't in February? What if it has to slide? What if the schedule gets, basically, lengthened because of a late start?' We are optimistic, and we are already in conversations with a lot of our clients about NFL and other live sports," she said.

In an effort to broaden its NFL fan base, the company will air a playoff game simultaneously on CBS and Nickelodeon.

In a similar show of unity and the ability to span generations, ViacomCBS will also simulcast its “Kid of the Year” awards on both channels.

As with any upfront presentation, ViacomCBS didn’t miss an opportunity to attempt to poke fun at the TV industry and its jargon.

"For some time now, 60 Minutes has been looking into advanced advertising. What we have uncovered is a strange cult with a language of its own,” said “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker, before introducing Ross as “queen of advanced advertising."

During the quarantine, Ross said, “some people took up knitting or baking or jigsaw puzzling,” but she used it “as an opportunity to brush up on my advanced analytics.”

And of course, late-night hosts were on hand to lend some humor.

"Today you learned about our five core innovation areas: reach & scale, connected video, advanced advertising, targeted synergistic focus, experiential & creative capabilities. OK, I made one of those up. First person to guess which gets a free Super Bowl spot,” said “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert.

And James Corden, host of “The Late Late Show” wrapped things up by reminding advertisers that “The box in the corner is the thing that can give us the collective experience we have all been sorely missing.”

###

More Nick: Nickelodeon Upfront 2020 Roundup!

H/T: Anime Superhero Forum /@wammyguide12.

Originally published: Wednesday, May 06, 2020.
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