Crown Media is planning an upfront event for the Hallmark Channels.
The event is slated for March 30 at New York’s famed Rainbow Room. In the last few years, Crown has sat down with buyers on a more individual basis. It has also held press events to publicize its upcoming programming.
Ad revenues at Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries were up 21% in the fourth quarter and 18% for all of 2015, and the company is looking forward to a strong upfront market.
Also planning an upfront event this year after several years of smaller meetings is Comedy Central. Comedy Central’s event is scheduled for March 31. The network is looking to bounce back after the departures of late-night stalwarts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
Meanwhile, A+E Networks, which has held upfront events in early May the last few years, this season plans to pitch its networks—A&E, History, Lifetime, FYI—at meetings and dinners with individual agencies. Last year, the band Fall Out Boy played at A+E's upfront.
Upfront events kick off Wednesday with Nickelodeon presenting at Lincoln Center in New York. The season lasts through May 19 when NBCU’s cable networks put on a show and buy a round of drinks for media buyers and clients.
