With upfront staples equivalent to Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers absent from the presentation, the corporate tapped its information personalities to take their place onstage.
MSNBC’s Willie Geist was onstage to introduce a bundle about Saturday Evening Stay’s fiftieth anniversary, which is arising in 2025, The eleventh Hour host Stephanie Ruhle got here out to introduce the corporate’s upcoming new dramas—together with The Irrational with Jesse L. Martin, which is a part of NBC’s fall schedule—and Squawk Field’s Andrew Ross Sorkin mentioned Mandy Moore’s involvement in a brand new season of Dr. Demise. Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb later led a complete workforce of newsers from throughout NBCU’s ecosystem for a section showcasing all the assorted information properties.
In truth, all through the occasion, one of many solely celebrities not in NBC’s information division who appeared onstage was Entry Hollywood’s Mario Lopez.
Throughout a beforehand recorded section that includes creators from throughout NBCU, together with Amy Poehler, Dick Wolf and Rian Johnson, the corporate ran a disclaimer, noting that the interviews happened in April earlier than the writers strike was introduced.
A highlight on sports activities
Along with information, NBCU put a highlight on sports activities and Bravo all through the present.
The corporate is bringing Huge Ten Soccer to its primetime schedule this fall and had Rutgers head soccer coach Greg Schiano, Iowa Hawkeyes ladies’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder and Penn State head soccer coach James Franklin grace the stage to speak about it.
Moreover, Grace Potter sang “Paris” to spotlight the Paris Olympics in 2024, as a video of athletes performed within the background.
Final 12 months’s presentation, the primary in-person upfront week occasion since 2019, was a star-studded spectacle stuffed with musical numbers and Bravolebrities to have a good time BravoCon. And with BravoCon heading to Las Vegas in 2023, the upcoming present additionally acquired its second, although it was considerably much less star-studded with Andy Cohen absent from the stage.
Nevertheless, to showcase BravoCon coming to Vegas, NBCU made Vanderpump Guidelines’ Ariana Madix magically seem onstage with Vegas-style dancers.
Madix has been within the information and throughout social media because the story broke that Vanderpump forged member Tom Sandoval cheated on her with fellow castmate Raquel Leviss. And after NBCU gave her a magical look, Madix joked, “If solely they might make a few of these different individuals disappear.”
Telemundo was additionally featured in the course of the presentation, with stars William Levy and Rafael Amaya coming to the stage, and the corporate speaking in regards to the success of the World Cup on Telemundo and Peacock.
The corporate additionally has Spanish-language protection from the Girls’s World Cup on the best way.
“With all of the deal with ladies’s sports activities and the significance of constant to offer some fairness by way of protection and publicity, we’re very proud to have the ability to companion with FIFA for the Girls’s World Cup,” Marshall instructed Adweek forward of the upfront week occasion.
