Days after leadership shakeup, NBCU pitches Peacock originals, SNL strength to marketers

Over the last decade, NBCUniversal’s annual upfront pitch to advertisers has had at least one more or less constant: the network’s long-serving ad sales chief, Linda Yaccarino, probably decked out in metallic hues and show-stopping shoes while pitching NBC’s news, sports, and entertainment properties as the best place for advertisers to be.

But this is no ordinary year, and hanging over the TV network’s pitch to advertisers Monday morning at Radio City Music Hall was Yaccarino’s eleventh-hour departure from the company on Friday to join Twitter as CEO.

“What was more surprising today—being welcomed by a foul-mouthed teddy bear, or seeing me up here on stage?” Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal television and streaming, joked after a prerecorded song-and-dance number by the animated bear Ted, who’s getting a Peacock comedy series based on the 2012 movie.

• Talk about awkward: in the opening number, Ted—voiced by Seth MacFarlane—sang that Twitter wasn’t perhaps the best place for advertisers to be, since it “just let all the crazies back in.”

Lazarus and newly named interim ad sales and partnerships chair Mark Marshall jointly ran the show to present new programs and thank Yaccarino for her contributions to the network.

• “I’ve heard from so many of you over the past 72 hours and I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” Marshall said.

The presentation comes after NBCU reported that first-quarter revenue from its US ads business dropped 6.1% year over year, excluding last year’s Olympics and Super Bowl. The company, which attributed the decline in part to lower audience ratings, has been investing heavily in streaming service Peacock to win over audiences and advertisers.

Missing faces: Heading into upfronts week, it was an open question as to which NBCUniversal talent the company would be able to call on to appear onstage in the midst of the ongoing writers’ strike. The answer, it seems, was NBCU News Group talent, who not only pitched programming across MSNBC, NBC, CNBC, and Telemundo, but did double duty introducing offerings from NBCUniversal’s scripted side.

• “If you squint a little bit, or maybe just can’t find your glasses in your purse, I could be Colin Jost, right?” joked MSNBC host Willie Geist, who then introduced a sizzle reel for Saturday Night Live.

The pitch: In a fast-paced presentation, NBCU previewed big scripted shows coming to Peacock and NBC, including the sitcom Extended Family, the action comedy Twisted Metal, the crime dramas Found and The Irrational, and the Peacock originals Apples Never Fall and Based on a True Story. (Videotaped interviews with talent like Amy Poehler and Rian Johnson pitching the network’s scripted series were recorded prior to the writers’ strike.) College football also got stage time, as did the 2024 Paris Olympics and all things Bravo.

The performances: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals performed “Paris.” Reba McEntire sang “Fancy.” And Nick Jonas closed out the presentation with renditions of “Levels” and “Jealous.”

Meanwhile, outside: Attendees were met with striking members of the Writers Guild of America picketing outside Radio City Music Hall. WGA members also plan to appear at presentations for Fox, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and YouTube this week.