NBCUniversal says its 2022 upfront was “record-breaking,” and the “highest grossing upfront since Comcast’s acquisition of NBCUniversal” over a decade ago, though it remained mum on its total haul. In 2021, the company saw upfront ad commitments of more than $7 billion, suggesting that this year’s results are higher than that.
One key area where the company was precise is with Peacock, its nascent streaming service. NBCU says that Peacock doubled in upfront revenue to $1 billion up from $500 million a year ago. That is a substantial increase for a streaming service that thus far hasn’t garnered the same massive scale as competitors like Netflix and Disney+, both of which are also expected to enter the advertising space later this year.
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Elsewhere, the company said that broadcast entertainment, the NFL, and multicultural segments saw 20 percent growth (the exact CPM increases are unclear), with advanced advertising commitments up 30 percent. It also said that more than 40 percent of upfront business was conducted outside of the traditional age and gender guarantees (i.e. men 18-49, adult 25-54, etc), though it did not break down what those new segments were.
The two strongest sectors were pharmaceuticals and travel, with streaming, technology, retail and CPG also performing well. One segment not mentioned was automotive, which has continued to cut back on ad campaigns as automakers sell every car they produce amid industry supply chain woes.
“Advertising is a futures market, and if the results of this Upfront say anything, it’s that we have built the future our partners want.” said Linda Yaccarino, chairman of global advertising & partnerships for NBCUniversal, in a statement. “The momentum of this year’s Upfront is underscored by our commitment to bring both simplicity and flexibility to a complex marketplace. Whether it’s advertising technology and data, an ad supported streaming service, premium content opportunities founded on our iconic IP, we deliver a comprehensive one-video ecosystem that yields impact for all our partners.”
