Warner Bros. Discovery kicked off the final day of upfronts from Madison Square Garden this morning, but unlike many other presentations this week, sports didn’t make an appearance until more than an hour into its presentation.
“Over the last 12 months we have transformed our portfolio to be more dynamic and diverse,” said Luis Silberwasser, Chairman & CEO of TNT Sports, touting the additions of sports rights such as Unrivaled, Roland-Garros, Big 12 football, Big East, NASCAR, FIFA Club World Cup, CFP and others, though some are sublicensed from ESPN and DAZN.
Host Adam Lefkoe, Basketball HOFer Grant Hill and Pro Football HOFer Champ Bailey came on stage and highlighted Bleacher Report’s digital partnership with the NFL, which had a strong presence at the draft this year. Former WNBAer Candace Parker then joined to promote women’s sports platform B/R W, rebranded this year from HighlightHER. “To be able to have the visibility, the power behind women being able to sell more than just sports, you talk about brands and deals, seeing that as a part of what we do has been super special,” said Parker.
Hockey HOFer Henrik Lundqvist appeared on stage for the NHL ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals, and tennis star Sloane Stephens promoted the French Open, which starts this month.
Joint ad sales chiefs Ryan Gould and Robert “Bobby” Voltaggio are both WBD veterans, but today marked the first time the pair led upfront season.
“We spent the last 90 days or so listening to our internal teams and colleagues as well as our external partners to get the voice of the consumer so that we tailor our sales approach to make the most sense and meet our clients where they are,” Voltaggio told SBJ ahead of today‘s presentation.
Added Gould: “Sports is a core tactic in our overall strategy. Sports continues to be the one constant and in constant marketplace, frankly speaking. Sports has historically operated outside of the upfront cycle. Over the past few years, you look at companies like Disney, Paramount, NBC, they’re pulling sports more closely into the upfront cycle. We are as well. Sports continues to drive a lot of the consideration and a lot of the conversations as it relates to the upfront.”
It’s the first time in nearly 36 years that linear rights to the NBA are not part of WBD’s upfront conversations following the league’s new media rights deal.
“With regards to the NBA, it’s a vastly different cycle from what they saw traditionally from us and ESPN,” said Gould. “Because now there’s more players. Obviously, Amazon doesn’t have a similar portfolio than what we do. So their approach is different. NBC, obviously, the NBA offering is amongst the NFL, Super Bowl this year, as well as the Olympics. It’s an ever-evolving landscape so marketers can lock in consistency on a multiyear approach.”
