NBCUniversal has locked in its usual Monday kickoff week to upfronts week in New York, confirming May 11 as the date of its main presentation to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall.
On the following evening, May 12, NBCU said Telemundo will host a cocktail reception. The Hispanic subsidiary had held that spot in past years, but last May encountered interference from Amazon, which put its upfront on the first Monday evening of the week. This year is a priority for Telemundo to host ad buyers given its Spanish-language rights to next summer’s FIFA World Cup.
NBCU also said its pitch will include all of the cable networks soon to be spun off into stand-alone entity Versant. Even after the spin, the new company plans to have NBCU handle its ad sales under a multi-year agreement. All cable networks apart from Bravo are in the process of leaving the Comcast-owned parent.
Radio City will provide a backdrop for a show emphasizing the 100th anniversary of NBC, whose origins date to the radio days. Attendees can also expect a reprise of a theme the company has been emphasizing for months now, a string of live events of interest to buyers stretching out far more than a single year, which is usually the horizon of an annual upfront. The run spans this year’s Saturday Night Live‘s 50th season special; the return of the NBA; and the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics in February 2026.
“For over 100 years, NBC has defined the U.S. television landscape for generations of viewers,” Mark Marshall, Chairman, NBCUniversal Global Advertising & Partnerships, said in a statement. “As we head into our centennial year, we’re not just celebrating our legacy – we’re setting the course for what’s next.”
Historically a packed slate of wining and dining by networks for their brand clients, upfronts “week” last year morphed into a high-intensity, three-day affair. Major tech players Amazon, Netflix and YouTube have elbowed their way into the main week, which was for decades ruled by the broadcast networks. Paramount has opted out of a full-scale upfront in recent years, but its step-back was not replicated by others, and the company is under new management after the Skydance merger. After the interruptions of Covid, NBCU rivals Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have all returned in force to in-person, traditional presentations.
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