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Amazon debuts at Upfront Week, showcasing its ad-supported streaming services and more: It鈥檚 a strategic move to expand its digital advertising reach.

US upfront TV ad spending will fall by 3.6% to $18.64 billion for the 2023鈥�2024 TV season, a downward revision of 5.0% from our previous forecast.

NBCUniversal highlights Peacock at upfront: Media titan reflects the industry's digital tilt amidst picketing and leadership changes

Hulu was the star of upfront streaming spend in iSpot.tv鈥檚 March survey, with 74% of brands and advertisers saying they were allocating spend to the platform. YouTube TV also had a huge showing, with almost half (48%) of respondents saying they were assigning spend to it. Peacock, Roku, and Paramount+ rounded out the top five.

This year鈥檚 upfronts have been unusual, with the haze of the Writers Guild of America strike and a decisive shift toward streaming. From YouTube鈥檚 mixed messages to Netflix鈥檚 ad-supported tier鈥檚 less-than-impressive beginning, here are five trends pinpointed by our analyst.

On today's episode, we discuss how much advertisers spend on traditional TV, whether connected TV (CTV) is stealing all of its dollars, and how much time Americans spend watching both. "In Other News," we talk about the one big takeaway from this year's upfronts and NewFronts and whether Peacock's new pricing strategy will work. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Paul Verna.

Interest in non-legacy currencies is up slightly, but 58% of US advertisers say they still need to learn more about them before putting them into action, according to an April 2024 survey from iSpot.tv.

While CTV makes it easy to test and learn, you鈥檒l want to take simple steps upfront to make the biggest splash right from the jump:. A persistent logo and URL: Display your logo and URL to ensure that audiences know whose ad they鈥檙e watching (regardless of when they come back from the kitchen).

While alternatives have been slow to catch on, the 2025 Upfront season could mark a turning point for Nielsen鈥檚 dominance. Kantar assisted the Association of National Advertisers in the creation of cross-media measurement solution Aquila, launched in 2024. Its participation in Aquila, which is also backed by Amazon, Google, and Meta, puts a significant ad industry stamp of approval under its belt.

Leverage strategic partnerships: Collaborating with fintechs provides access to advanced technology and broadens offerings without large upfront investments. And strategic partnerships within FIs鈥� local community can also create a steady inflow of customers and give them a marketing advantage over bigger competitors.

Zooming out: Amazon鈥檚 launch and large audience helped it secure $1.8 billion in upfront commitments this year, per The Information, a strong showing for its first upfront season. However, it has also spent the last two years introducing a glut of advertising features that have attracted further interest.

During its first six months with advertising, Netflix reportedly let advertisers reclaim their money after missing viewership targets and canceled its first in-person upfront a week prior to the event.

On today's episode, we discuss the significance of Nielsen getting its national accreditation back, whether this year will be the first true multicurrency upfront, and what advertisers should do today to prepare for a less-than-certain measurement future. "In Other News," we talk about whether longer video ads are actually the way to go on mobile and whether marketing has an image problem. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Evelyn Mitchell.

Nielsen regains key MRC accreditation ahead of 2023 upfronts: This comes as a number of measurement rivals go after the incumbent leader鈥檚 turf.

Media planners should be paying attention to both digital and linear TV, but attention is obviously moving toward the former. When preparing for upfronts, keep in mind that ads are almost everywhere now, which means an expanding menu of options.

Scripps Company鈥檚 chief revenue officer told Adweek that 鈥渙ur commitment to women鈥檚 sports鈥� contributed to the company鈥檚 growth in upfront TV ad sales. Rather than getting lumped into broader sports packages, like they were in past years, women鈥檚 sports became their own line items in upfront deals, according to ad buyers interviewed by Ad Age.

Most lack the digital traffic needed to compete against heavyweights like Mercado Libre and Amazon, while steep upfront costs for digitizing physical stores remain a major barrier to in-store and omnichannel advertising solutions. Predictions. Retail media outlays will move further up the funnel.

Be prepared for potential upfront costs, especially if their organization is developing in-house proprietary systems. Ensure data quality and privacy compliance to fuel effective and ethical AI use. Monitor consumer sentiment to ensure AI-driven strategies are enhancing鈥攏ot eroding鈥攃ustomer relationships. Balance innovation with safety.

Building proprietary tech stack components in-house can have long-term payoffs, but upfront costs make this out of reach for most retailers. Retailers must customize growth strategies for a changing landscape. With retail media growth rates decelerating, RMNs must move beyond chasing total revenue volume and focus on efficiency.

Our take: This deal clears the way for Venu Sports to launch in 2025, potentially setting the stage for a presence at this year鈥檚 Upfronts. It鈥檚 also an indication of continued media consolidation under the incoming administration. Disney, WBD, and others are likely to pursue additional mergers, leaving a troubled path for smaller networks and streaming services.

Walmart convened a Creator Upfront in October. Creators from various industries presented their content and strategies to a group of advertisers. Amazon has taken minority stake in Spotter. The latter is a company that supports creator businesses through capital, community, and AI tools. Amazon has joined forces with Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Pinterest.

Beyond taking up more space in budgets, influencer marketing shops are mirroring other longstanding practices in the traditional media landscape, like agency reviews and upfronts.

Walmart convened a Creator Upfront in October. Creators from various industries presented their content and strategies to a group of advertisers. Amazon has taken minority stake in Spotter. The latter is a company that supports creator businesses through capital, community, and AI tools. Amazon has joined forces with Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Pinterest.