For the first time, NBCUniversal Cable presented its entire catalog -- that's Bravo, E!, USA, Syfy, Esquire, Sprout and Oxygen -- during one upfront event. And unity was the big talking point.
Chairman Bonnie Hammer opened the show, walking out on stage to MC Hammer's "You Can't Touch This" -- though the audio ended just short of a "Stop. Hammer time!" She was on-hand not just to focus on the future, with all programming showcased across the networks from upcoming series, but to stress the company's push to become a one-stop shopping destination for media buyers with its Symphony initiative.
There were also a whopping 120 members of the portfolio's on-air talent, many of whom graced the stage during the presentation. (Joan Rivers and Joel McHale got the biggest laughs.)
The evening also offered new glimpses at first-time scripted offerings from Bravo and E! and brought big news for NBCU's partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Here are the key takeaways:
One-Stop Shopping with Cocktails
NBCUniversal ad sale president Linda Yaccarino appealed to media buyers need to cobble together myriad deals on every conceivable platform and device by stressed the cable portfolios ability to "deliver unprecedented levels of engagement and effectiveness" at "unparalleled scale and targetability." The company is rolling out its Symphony initiative -- a cross-network and multi-platform marketing approach used to promote Universal Pictures Despicable Me and SyFy's Defiance -- to the general market. And Yaccarino, who also addressed media buyers at NBC's presentation here on Monday, stressed that Symphony is not just a cross-network buy but one that comes with the accountability of advanced measurement technology with "more innovation and more targeting than anyone else in the business." In the end, Yaccarino's attempt to appeal to buyers who have already sat through at least half a dozen presentations came down to the open bar, which she promised would re-open in 85 minutes. "Think of is," she said, "as one-stop shopping with cocktails." (Symphony was further driven home via a video montage of NBCUni cable celebrities playing air violin, and flute and French horn to the tune of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and a rap from Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein.)
The Kardashians are Still a Keystone
E!'s reality franchise may be looking a little long in the tooth, and the ratings are starting to show as much, but Kim Kardashian remains an integral part of their brand. The reality star was the first in the slew of talent to grace the stage, beckoned when Yaccarino referred to herself as the Kim Kardashian of NBCUniversal. (Sorry, Linda, that job's taken.) Kardashian, who struggled a bit with the teleprompter introduced the E! segment of the presentation, and figured prominently in the ensuing onslaught of promotional videos.
We're the Most Interactive Networks
The presentation was infused with multi-platform stats -many of them as nebulous as those rolled out at previous presentations. And Bravo star Andy Cohen was tapped to introduce a clip that rapidly scrolled through the various networks' initiatives including TV Everywhere, participation TV, transmedia (epitomized by the Suits Recruits game), social commercials and social media integrations including the E! News "Instagram wall" which tracks celebrities' Instagram feeds. Cohen's ever-growing Watch What Happens Live incorporates a drinking game into its nightly telecasts, prompting a handful of the presentation's many references to boozing. After all, it's been a long week.
WWE Is Here to Stay
One newsy bit to come out of the presentation was from the WWE. NBCU has reupped its deal with the wrestling giant to keep the entertainment-sports hybrid going on E!, USA and Syfy for the foreseeable future. No terms of the deal were disclosed but it's expected to be a long-term pact.
Come for Reality, Stay for Scripted
Two long-gestating projects finally made their way outside of company walls during the presentation. E! scripted debut The Royals (a sudsy drama starring Elizabeth Hurley) and Bravo's first scripted projects Girlfriends Guide to Divorce and Odd Mom Out all screened trailers for the first time. Each of the projects received hearty applause from the crowd -- but nearing 6 p.m. on Thursday, this was one slaphappy group. One of the Real Housewives of Pittsburgh could have gotten a standing ovation by the end of the 90-minute program.
