Every May, the five big television networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW — host what can only be described as spectacles.
There are celebrities and red carpets and glamorous parties and presentations hosted by the networks’ affable late-night hosts held at iconic New York theaters such as Carnegie Hall and Rockefeller Center. But no part of these dog-and-pony shows are intended for television audiences. They are the “Upfronts”—annual presentations networks make to ad buyers and the media introducing them to their fall television schedules in a bid for dollars and attention.
Thanks to COVID-19, this year’s Upfronts looked considerably different than in years past. Most notably, the parties and red carpets and celebrity panels were canceled in favor of remote presentations and quieter virtual “town halls” with ad buyers.
Aside from how the presentations themselves were made, the content of the presentations was wildly different this year.
