In another example of how streaming is supplanting broadcasting, Netflix is going to be inviting media buyers to an upfront presentation on the Wednesday of what has traditionally been known as upfront week — the time slot vacated by CBS and its parent company Paramount Global.
Netflix is expected to hold its event at the Paris Theater, around the corner from the Plaza Hotel, where CBS has held its reception the last few years. The streamer didn’t say if Emily, of the series Emily in Paris would be in attendance.
Also: Goodbye Carnegie Hall: Another Sign the Broadcast Era Is Ending
Netflix has been operating the theater since 2019. It is currently screening All Quiet on the Western Front.
Netflix, long proud of offering viewers a commercial free experience, last year launched a low-priced, ad-supported version of its service in order to grow subscribers and revenue.
Early returns indicated that Netflix didn’t have as many subscribers or viewers for its ad supported tier and had to return money to advertisers.
"Smart move," said one media buyer. "I thought they were gong to wait another year before going big during the Upfront."
Paramount last month announced that it would abandon the upfront event at Carnegie Hall that CBS has mounted for decades. Instead it plans a series of more intimate dinners for media buyers and advertisers.
NBCUniversal announced that it plans to hold its upfront at Radio City Music Hall on Monday of upfront week as usual. ■
