NewFronts 2015: The Highlights, Trends and Forecast
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By: Allen Weiner, VideoInk Master of Insights
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Table of Contents Summary 4 NewFronts Aren’t So New, And They're Jam Packed 4-5 The Four Trends & Takeaways 6-12 1. Digital Development and Production Strategy 6-8 ▶ Diversity of Topics 6 ▶ Creative Agency vs. Production Studio Funding Models Diverge
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2. YouTube No Longer the Center of the Video Solar System
3. Live From the Internet, It's TV 10 4. Internet Killed the TV Star, or Has It? 11-12
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Market Impact 13-14
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▶ Today 13 ▶ In Six Months 14
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Recommendations 15
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NewFronts 2015: The Highlights, Trends and Forecast Summary: The 2015 NewFronts was a watershed event that represents a microcosm of the current state of the online business industry. With multiple lenses into the areas of content, advertising, audience demographics and emerging trends, the NewFronts are the ultimate touchstone to reflect the state of this exciting, emerging business.
NewFronts Aren’t So New, And They’re Jam Packed! Held from April 27 through May 7, 2015, the 2015 NewFronts was reminiscent of an old fashioned touring rock’n’roll show complete with headliners, supporting acts and rising stars. The bands performed at huge venues such as Madison Square Garden and small, intimate clubs including the blossoming number of digital studio spaces that dot Manhattan’s Silicon Alley.
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The price of admission was the need to sit through promotion pitches that recounted each digital media company’s past accomplishments and future plans. There was a lot of blue sky on display from the 34 companies who paid for the privilege of landing an official spot on the NewFront schedule. The endgame for all who pitched was to convince ad buyers, planners, marketers and brands to increase their digital spend and back their proven projects and invest in what’s to come—especially in the area of video.
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The meme-heavy NewFronts spoke to the need to capture the attention and wallets of millennials and their younger counterparts—Generation Z. Various takes on curation, virtual reality, the role of influencers, and the impact that live-streaming apps Periscope and Meerkat will have on the digital video business, peppered the two weeks of presentations. The individual sessions had a consistent stagecraft, opening with a generally succinct executive message followed by scripted sections from each company’s content and sales leaders. The well-rehearsed presentations were heavy on data—especially those numbers who spoke to an individual company’s leadership in a given demographic or category—and peppered with short clips highlighting past and current hits and potentially future stars.
“The term “what’s on TV” is less about the delivery method and more about its impact on those funding, producing, distributing, and viewing an increasing number of content choices on an increasing number of devices”
While not a primary focus of the 10-day roadshow, companies such as The New York Times and Vox spoke about new technologies that they will use in the coming year. Included in that category are virtual reality, curation platforms, advertising technology enhancements (most notably in the programmatic space) and new forms of analytics and measurement. The 2015 NewFronts began with sessions from The New York Times and MediaLink and ended with the Daily Mail and Elite Daily. In between those bookends were web portals, old-school publishers, digital-first (and only) publishers and a number of streaming/OTT networks. The range of participants speaks to huge opportunity awaiting those who are successful in the online video space as well as the intense competition in store for funding, revenue, audience and talent. The fact that there are but three days between the NewFronts and the long-standing Upfronts — a time when television networks show off their upcoming programming schedules — speaks to a future when the two showcases somehow meld into one larger gathering in which the term “what’s on TV” is less about the delivery method and more about its impact on those funding, producing, distributing, and viewing an increasing number of content choices on an increasing number of devices.
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