Upfronts 2025: Networks pivot to streaming and sports as viewing habits evolve

The 2025 television upfront presentations in New York showed legacy media companies embracing significant shifts in strategy as they navigate industry transformation.

Networks highlighted streaming platforms, sports rights acquisitions and new advertising technologies while still affirming the cultural impact of their traditional programming. This year’s presentations showed an industry actively reinventing itself while trying to maintain its core audience appeal.

Warner Bros. Discovery returns to HBO roots

Warner Bros. Discovery announced that its streaming service Max will revert to HBO Max this summer, marking a strategy shift for its digital platform.

At its upfront presentation at Madison Square Garden, company executives emphasized that the rebranding aligns with consumer preferences for quality over quantity. The move acknowledges the enduring value of the HBO brand, which has represented premium content for over five decades.

“With the course we are on and strong momentum we are enjoying, we believe HBO Max far better represents our current consumer proposition,” said JB Perrette, President and CEO of Streaming during the presentation.

The company reported significant growth in its streaming business, with 22 million subscribers added over the past year and projections to exceed 150 million by the end of 2026. This growth comes after a substantial financial turnaround, with the streaming division improving profitability by nearly $3 billion in two years.

WBD also unveiled several advertising initiatives, including:

• “WBD Storyverse,” which will leverage the company’s extensive library of IP like Elf, Harry Potter, and Friends for brand partnerships
• NEO, a new ad platform providing advertisers direct access to WBD’s premium video inventory across streaming, linear, FAST, and syndication through a single interface
• DemoDirect, a solution designed to simplify demographic-based buying across WBD’s network portfolio

NBCUniversal showcases sports and streaming integration

NBCUniversal positioned itself as a powerhouse of cultural moments and live events at its upfront presentation, emphasizing the significance of the network’s upcoming 100th anniversary.

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The company highlighted what it called “Legendary February,” which will feature “an unprecedented 17-day stretch featuring the Super Bowl, 2026 Winter Olympics and NBA All-Star Weekend.”

This concentration of high-profile events illustrates NBCU’s strategy of leveraging live sports to attract viewers and advertisers.

As the network prepares to bring back NBA programming, basketball legend Michael Jordan will return to NBC as a special contributor to NBA coverage. The company also emphasized that Peacock will feature more than 7,500 hours of sports content.

In scripted content, NBCU unveiled several notable titles including:

• “The Paper,” a mockumentary set in the same universe as “The Office”
• “Dig,” a comedy about four women working at an archaeological dig in Greece
• “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins,” executive produced by “30 Rock” creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock

Fox Corporation unveils streaming platform and AI-driven ad tech

Fox made two significant announcements during its upfront: the launch of a new streaming service and an AI-powered advertising platform.

The company introduced Fox One, a streaming service that will bring together all of Fox’s news, sports, and entertainment content. Set to launch this fall before the NFL and college football seasons, Fox One will give cord-cutters and cord-nevers access to Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Weather, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, BTN, Fox Deportes, Fox Local Stations and the Fox network.

Fox Advertising also announced the launch of OneFox, a converged media platform powered by AdRise and built on AI-driven technology. The platform aims to create more personalized ad experiences for consumers while increasing effectiveness for advertisers across Fox’s portfolio of properties.

The platform’s capabilities include AI-powered planning through predictive models, unified activation across linear and digital media, and outcome-based measurement that ties media strategies to business outcomes.

Disney emphasizes sports dominance and franchise power at 2025 upfront

Disney’s upfront presentation delivered a clear message to advertisers: the company’s unparalleled sports portfolio and iconic entertainment franchises create advertising opportunities that competitors can’t match.

The star-studded event at New York’s Javits Center opened with a marching band performance featuring drum major Mickey Mouse, setting the stage for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to introduce CEO Bob Iger. This sports-first approach characterized the entire presentation.

Disney highlighted its position as “home to the most live sports hours in the industry” across its platforms, with presenters noting the upcoming launch of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service.

The presentation featured an extensive lineup of sports personalities and athletes. ESPN analysts Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter, and Chiney Ogwumike announced “Vibe Check,” a new female-led sports commentary show. New York Knicks legends Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and John Starks joined ESPN’s Monica McNutt to emphasize Disney’s exclusive NBA rights through 2035, including the Finals and Conference Finals.

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On the entertainment side, Disney leveraged its franchise strength with segments dedicated to Star Wars, Marvel, and animated franchises. In a notable announcement, Krysten Ritter revealed she will reprise her role as Jessica Jones in “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 2. The cast of FX’s “The Bear” confirmed the show’s fourth season would debut June 25 on Hulu.

Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising, underscored Disney’s value proposition for advertisers, noting the company now reaches 164 million global ad-supported monthly active users and delivers 200,000 hours of premium content across its platforms.

Throughout the presentation, Disney emphasized how its technological capabilities, including the recently launched Disney Experience Composer and Disney Compass, provide advertisers with innovative ways to connect with audiences across the company’s extensive portfolio.

ESPN announces direct-to-consumer streaming service details

Disney’s ESPN revealed details about its upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service, which will simply be called ESPN.

The service will offer two subscription tiers: an unlimited plan priced at $29.99 per month that includes all ESPN networks and content, and a select plan at $11.99 monthly that provides access to ESPN+ content. The company also announced bundling options with Disney+ and Hulu, including a special launch offer.

ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro emphasized the company’s strategy: “We are providing everything ESPN has to offer directly to fans and all in one place.” The service will provide access to ESPN’s extensive rights portfolio including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, UFC, college sports, and international soccer.

At launch, ESPN will introduce enhancements to the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices with new features available to all viewers, whether they subscribe directly or through a traditional pay TV provider.

TelevisaUnivision focuses on music and short-form content

TelevisaUnivision announced new initiatives focused on music and short-form content to reach younger Hispanic audiences.

The company unveiled YA Fest, a new music festival that will take place in three major cities starting in September 2026, featuring live performances and immersive fan experiences that will air across TelevisaUnivision’s platforms.

Additionally, the network introduced ViX Música, a streaming platform for all the music in the ViX universe, featuring new and original content like concerts, unplugged performances, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes content. The platform has partnered with iHeartMedia to exclusively stream iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina live on ViX in October.

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TelevisaUnivision also announced it is expanding its short-form content with “microdramas” – fast-paced, scripted series featuring one-minute episodes designed for mobile viewers. The company plans to premiere 40 original microdramas in the second half of 2025, with plans to extend the format to other genres.

The company has also partnered with TripleLift for immersive in-show ads that integrate brands within content. 

Netflix emphasizes advertising growth and new formats

Netflix, now in its third year participating in the upfronts, highlighted the significant growth of its advertising business.

According to Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s President of Advertising, the platform’s ad-supported plan now reaches more than 94 million global monthly active users and reaches more 18-34-year-olds than any other US broadcast or cable network. The company also noted that subscribers to its ad tier spend an average of 41 hours per month on the service.

Netflix announced that its in-house advertising platform, Netflix Ads Suite, is now live in the US and Canada, will be available in EMEA next week, and will expand to all 12 ad-supported countries by June.

On the content front, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria highlighted the company’s approach of “programming a slate, not slots” to ensure a diverse offering across countries and languages. The service announced new seasons of several popular shows, including The Diplomat, Bridgerton (Seasons 5 and 6), and new live events.

Amazon expands ad reach and interactive formats

Amazon emphasized the scale of its advertising ecosystem during its upfront presentation, highlighting significant growth metrics to attract advertisers.

The company announced that its ad-supported monthly reach in the U.S. has expanded to an audience of over 300 million across owned and operated supply, with Prime Video’s ad-supported monthly audience reaching more than 130 million. Amazon also noted that 88% of these viewers shop on Amazon.com, creating a direct path from advertising to purchase.

Amazon Ads unveiled new AI-powered advertising formats, including contextually relevant pause ads that connect brands to the scenes viewers are watching. The company also introduced an expanded suite of interactive ad formats including enhanced shoppable ads with real-time Amazon shopping signals.

For sports content, Amazon announced it will become “the new home court for the NBA’s biggest games starting October 24,” with an 11-year deal that includes more than 65 regular-season games, Emirates NBA Cup knock-out rounds, and playoff action.

YouTube extends NFL partnership and expands shoppable CTV offerings

YouTube announced several significant developments at its annual Brandcast event, including expanded sports rights and new advertising capabilities.

The platform revealed it is extending its partnership with the NFL and will exclusively stream the league’s first Friday game of the 2025-2026 season from São Paulo, Brazil. This marks YouTube’s first time as a live NFL broadcaster, with the game streaming free on the NFL’s YouTube channel.

YouTube also introduced several new advertising features, including an extension of its shoppable connected TV offerings with an interactive product feed powered by Google Merchant Center. This allows viewers to shop directly from their television screens.

Other ad innovations announced include:

• Tech built with Gemini AI to identify “peak moments” within popular content where audiences are most engaged
• A redesigned homepage placement giving brands an edge-to-edge canvas for more impactful ads
• A new package allowing advertisers to integrate with major cultural moments like awards season or sports championships

Photo courtesy of Disney/ABC.