Fox said it will be holding its upfront presentation on May 17 and that, in addition to its entertainment and sports programming, this year’s event will showcase Tubi, the ad supported streaming service it bought last year.
“The presentation will be a virtual experience, showcasing how Fox’s leading portfolio of content – including, for the first time, the free-ad-focused streamer Tubi – is aligning to build a stronger and more impactful ad-supported future,” Fox said.
Ad supported streaming services like Tubi are hot items in the ad market now as advertisers look to follow viewers who are streaming content on connected TV devices (CTV).
On the company's earnings call this week, CEO Lachlan Murdoch said Fox expected Tubi to grow into a billion-dollar business.
Also Read: WarnerMedia To Hold Virtual Upfront on May 19
Fox’s upfront announcement follows similar announcement from other programmers that they plan to hold virtual events according to the schedule that the in-person events have followed for years.
That schedule was disrupted last year by the coronavirus outbreak, which canceled the in-person events and led to virtual events being held later in the year. Most of those events were super-charged star studded zoom calls for media buyers.
Because of the pandemic and the way it affected business, advertisers didn’t make their upfront commitments for 2020-21 until September, just before the start of the fall season.
