That was the week that was, and last week was an upfronts week like no other.
Variety’s team of New York-based television and digital reporters offer a debrief on the 2023 programming presentations in New York on the latest episode of Variety weekly podcast “Strictly Business.”
The drama roiling the industry was evident in all the Writers Guild of America picket signs that swarmed around the major events held from May 15 to May 17. That added to the general madness of the week that is a television and advertising industry tradition but is starting to feel anachronistic in the streaming era. But the upfronts are still a hard habit to break. Netflix even crashed the party this year, albeit virtually.
Behind the velvet ropes, there were plenty of signals of the industry’s difficult transition from linear to streaming. Variety’s Jennifer Maas, Joe Otterson, Todd Spangler and Brian Steinberg offer highlights and insights from the shows, the schmooze and the strategy unveiled by Disney, Netflix, NBCUniversal, Fox, YouTube and more.