As a part of Adweek’s ongoing year-in-review TV protection, we requested 26 TV executives and insiders to elucidate a very powerful factor they realized in 2022.
Among the consultants stored it transient, speaking in regards to the want for flexibility in a continually altering market, and different executives mirrored on the energy of stay sports activities to seize large audiences. Then, in fact, there have been people who have been happy with lastly mastering an ongoing ache level throughout the trade: Zoom calls.
Listed below are a very powerful issues TV executives, advert gross sales chiefs and consumers realized in 2022:
Dani Benowitz, president, U.S., Magna: This 12 months has taught me the true which means of partnership and the importance of partnerships in our trade. This consists of understanding what it takes to be an excellent associate from each side of the desk. It’s been a 12 months crammed with unpredictability, and navigating it has required compassion, creativity and collaboration. It’s been inspiring to see what number of good companions have confirmed up all through the trade in 2022.
Frances Berwick, chairman, leisure networks, NBCUniversal Tv and Streaming: Linear TV remains to be unmatched in the case of driving the most important attain. Look no additional than Thanksgiving Day on NBC, which reached practically 100M viewers throughout our leisure and sports activities programming.
Geoffrey Calabrese, Omnicom Media Group’s North American chief funding officer: Transitioning the trade to new foreign money is an actual problem. You might be asking publishers, purchasers and businesses to essentially change their manner of transacting and measuring media. Whereas everyone knows it’s the strategy to go, getting there may be tougher than it sounds.
David Campanelli, evp and chief funding officer, Horizon Media: That streaming isn’t fairly prepared to save lots of the media world but like most individuals thought.
Craig Erwich, Hulu Originals and ABC Leisure president: Two issues: scheduling remains to be actually vital, and comedy is alive and properly on broadcast tv. Take Abbott Elementary, which we launched behind Dwell in Entrance of a Studio Viewers a 12 months in the past. Debuting a brand new sequence behind a tentpole occasion after which making the episode obtainable on Hulu for practically a month earlier than the following episode aired on ABC created a good bigger sampling alternative and offered the longest runway potential for viewers to find the present. And this 12 months, Abbott went on to ship our highest-rated comedy telecast in three years and the most important delayed-viewing improve for any ABC comedy ever.
Rita Ferro, president, Disney Promoting: Focus in your prospects. Whereas this isn’t a brand new lesson for me being within the trade for 25 years, in actually dynamic occasions, it’s extra vital than ever to remain customer-focused. Put money into your staff. When you may have the very best expertise and teamwork within the trade, there’s nothing you’ll be able to’t accomplish. The necessity to stay nimble, versatile and consultative can be critically vital as {the marketplace} adapts to macro-economic forces.
Kathleen Finch, chairman and CCO, U.S. Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery: Flexibility is a extremely underrated skilled trait. The media enterprise is altering nearly each day, and should you don’t shortly regulate your methods to accommodate these adjustments, the enterprise will go you by. We have to embrace the altering expertise and altering viewer habits inflicting all this disruption, even when which means tossing out a strategic plan we dedicated to 6 months in the past.
Marianne Gambelli, president of promoting gross sales, advertising and marketing and model partnerships, Fox Corp.: This 12 months additional validated the energy, resiliency and affect of premium stay content material and marquee occasion programming. It continues to have interaction giant audiences and ship unmatched scale for advertisers in contrast to another content material—and this by no means was extra evident than through the fall. At Fox, we delivered unprecedented scores with our protection of the lads’s FIFA World Cup, school soccer and NFL. Throughout the November midterm elections, Fox Information Channel was the most-watched community in all of tv on election night time. The Masked Singer and Hell’s Kitchen continued to ship thrilling moments that engaged audiences and created social buzz. In a market the place advertisers are trying to find scale, stability and affect, stay content material and marquee occasions and programming have by no means been extra in demand. We’ll proceed to offer one of these nice content material in 2023 for advertisers and viewers, which incorporates the most important occasion in all of tv–the Tremendous Bowl in February.
Amy Ginsberg, chief funding officer, Havas Media Group: I’ve realized (and am nonetheless within the means of studying) the best way to work, handle and lead in a hybrid work surroundings. It has modified drastically for the reason that pandemic and requires a unique strategy. It’s important to discover a strategy to encourage folks in an surroundings none of us are used to. That is positively a piece in progress.
Jeremi Gorman, president worldwide promoting, Netflix: I realized to reply calls from unknown numbers as a result of it might simply be a name from somebody wanting to speak to you about your dream job! In all seriousness although, I’m studying an unimaginable quantity in regards to the TV area and about working within the “No Guidelines Guidelines” tradition made well-known by Netflix. With over 2 a long time of digital expertise, I’m lucky to deliver an unconventional TV background to the desk, however I do know that I have to complement that with my very own studying and to encompass myself with distinctive colleagues and companions who can assist me be taught TV. As for the tradition of Netflix, I’m loving it! Up to now, the whole lot I’ve learn, resembling Reed Hastings’ guide, to the tradition memo, has been true. Everybody right here is extraordinarily useful, good and prepared to make selections shortly throughout the framework of the tradition. I sit up for experiencing extra of this type and may’t wait to see what the long run holds.
John Halley, president, Paramount Promoting: There isn’t any extra orthodoxy. The media enterprise is altering so shortly. From Netflix to Meta, we noticed issues we by no means would have anticipated a 12 months in the past.
Alison Hoffman, president, Home Networks, Starz: Our technique of being daring and differentiated was reaffirmed this 12 months with the triumphant return of P-Valley, whose second season drove explosive viewers development and common important acclaim. Being boundary-breaking isn’t a threat on this trade. It’s a method for fulfillment.
Kim Kelleher, chief business officer, AMC Networks: Count on the sudden. That is simply not the surroundings for complacency or blind certainty. Issues are transferring too quick and are too susceptible to sudden opportunistic or defensive adjustments. However what you are able to do is know your core enterprise and its strengths and distinctive worth proposition chilly so you’ll be able to transfer as shortly as potential when exterior components past your management come into play. Navigating the present panorama will not be for the faint of coronary heart. The important thing factor any chief can deliver to the duty is a deep understanding of their very own enterprise because the fixed in a roiling sea of variables.
Alison Levin, vp, advert income and advertising and marketing options, Roku: My dad grew up within the restaurant trade. He usually mentioned: If you happen to’re going to be the chef, be sure you decide your personal substances. 2022 has been each thrilling and difficult for our trade. Crucial factor I realized–or maybe reaffirmed–was that our trade has the substances to make promoting higher for shoppers, manufacturers and content material house owners.
Chris McCarthy, president/CEO, Showtime and Paramount Media Networks: Tradition issues now greater than ever–from the best way we interact our audiences, our companions, our content material and our groups–once we’re all driving towards a shared objective which is to entertain and empower our viewers, we drive distinctive enterprise outcomes.
Dennis Miller, president, The CW Community: The facility of broadcast.
Peter Olsen, evp, advert gross sales, A+E Networks: I’ve loved working much more intently with purchasers and colleagues to seek out options–leaning in and listening with better acuity. Clearly, our world has reached peak complexity. From understanding the enterprise challenges of our companions throughout the desk to recognizing these of our inside colleagues, we may all profit from taking the time to understand the motivations of our friends in an effort to assist craft a real answer to the precise issues at hand.
Amy Reisenbach, president, CBS Leisure: Learn how to seamlessly change from pc to cellphone and vice versa whereas on Zoom calls.
Shelby Saville, chief funding officer, Publicis Media Trade: I’ve realized that purchasers’ want for continued flexibility was not simply one thing remoted to the early days of the pandemic. We’re seeing an ongoing want to reply and react to actual enterprise wants in real-time, and that isn’t going away anytime quickly.
Dave Sederbaum, evp, head of video funding, Dentsu: At all times have a plan B! In all seriousness, it’s about being nimble and able to adapt to unexpected circumstances. The financial optimism that began the 12 months was warning because the headwinds all of us confronted gained energy. The have to be able to adapt to altering enterprise realities of our shopper companions was paramount to our collective success. Transparency of dialogue, recognizing the NOW but in addition defending the long run are conversations which are finest had when you’ll be able to current various situations and paths ahead. Are you able to contract spend as wanted? In fact, however the greater query is how a lot and the place, and what are the ramifications? The notion of shared duty and partnership finest come to gentle when choices might be mentioned.
Rob Sharenow, president of programming, A+E Networks: Folks nonetheless like to have collective cultural experiences, and TV is a tremendous automobile to make that occur. Twenty-one million viewers watched our Janet Jackson mega documentary, which was enormously gratifying.
Donna Speciale. president of TelevisaUnivision U.S. advert gross sales and advertising and marketing: I at all times say it takes a village, and this 12 months was no exception. We began off 2022 with the landmark merger to develop into the world’s main Spanish-language media firm, remodeled our advert gross sales enterprise within the U.S. and launched a number of new refined capabilities which are delivering materials affect for our model and company companions. It’s been an unimaginable 12 months of development, and I’m actually happy with TelevisaUnivision’s U.S. Advert Gross sales staff for driving forth a brand new go-to-market technique that’s actually resonating with our purchasers.
Jon Steinlauf, Warner Bros Discovery’s chief U.S. promoting gross sales officer: All through my profession, I’ve skilled unpredictable conditions and occasions within the trade, within the market and within the state of the world, this 12 months included. My greatest takeaway is to at all times be ready for the sudden.
Stacey Stewart, U.S. chief market officer, UM: I’ve realized rather a lot round sustainability and what we as an trade can do to handle our rising local weather disaster proper now and sooner or later.
Matt Sweeney, chief funding officer of GroupM U.S.: Generally one of the best ways to “lead the market” is to be versatile. Our market evaluation on the finish of March seemed very totally different than it did originally of February.
Rob Wade, CEO, Fox Leisure: It’s extra of a validation than a studying, however 2022 is the 12 months that proved the resiliency and vital position non-aligned, ad-supported media corporations have in shaping the worldwide market. Whereas the foremost shifts the enterprise is experiencing could profit a choose few, it very properly could also be as much as the independents to innovate and transfer the trade ahead.
