NBC will premiere new shows year-round and court advertisers individually in a shift away from the traditional “upfront” presentations the networks stage every May.
Although the changes fall short of a radical restructuring, they reflect NBC’s desire to do away with some of the old methods of doing business following the three-month writers’ strike.
For NBC, this means spreading out series rather than clustering them in the fall, when a glut of new shows competes for attention.
NBC will announce its 52-week programming schedule in April, more than a month before the other broadcast networks.
“We have real belief in the strength of our schedule, and we will unveil it earlier so our clients have a real opportunity to use our assets,” said Ben Silverman, the co-chairman of NBC Entertainment.
Silverman said the jumpstart will allow for more time to do elaborate ad buys and get in on the ground floor of shows during development.
NBC isn’t abandoning entirely the upfront dog-and-pony show. It will still hold a group presentation for advertisers on May 12, but it will address ad-buying opportunities across its properties, including digital, Spanish-language and outdoor media, rather than focusing on just primetime shows.
Other networks plan to put on traditional upfront presentations.
As part of the sales pitch to advertisers, Silverman and his co-chair, Mark Graboff, will meet one-on-one with advertisers and their agencies during a three-city “roadshow.” Ad buyers rarely get the chance to address entertainment and programming chiefs.
“We’re invested a lot in what these people are doing in terms of money and taking chances,” said Andy Donchin, director of national broadcast for ad-buying firm Carat. “I just think it’s very valuable to sit down with head of entertainment.”