As a part of Adweek’s ongoing year-in-review TV protection, we requested 26 TV executives and insiders to clarify crucial factor they realized in 2022.
A few of the consultants stored it temporary, speaking in regards to the want for flexibility in a continuously altering market, and different executives mirrored on the energy of reside sports activities to seize large audiences. Then, in fact, there have been those who had been happy with lastly mastering an ongoing ache level throughout the trade: Zoom calls.
Listed here are crucial issues TV executives, advert gross sales chiefs and patrons 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 a great associate from either side of the desk. It’s been a 12 months full of 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 continues to be unmatched in the case of driving the most important attain. Look no additional than Thanksgiving Day on NBC, which reached almost 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’re asking publishers, shoppers and companies to essentially change their approach of transacting and measuring media. Whereas everyone knows it’s the method to go, getting there’s tougher than it sounds.
David Campanelli, evp and chief funding officer, Horizon Media: That streaming isn’t fairly prepared to avoid wasting the media world but like most individuals thought.
Craig Erwich, Hulu Originals and ABC Leisure president: Two issues: scheduling continues to be actually essential, and comedy is alive and nicely on broadcast tv. Take Abbott Elementary, which we launched behind Stay in Entrance of a Studio Viewers a 12 months in the past. Debuting a brand new collection behind a tentpole occasion after which making the episode out there on Hulu for almost a month earlier than the following episode aired on ABC created a fair bigger sampling alternative and supplied the longest runway doable 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 biggest delayed-viewing enhance for any ABC comedy ever.
Rita Ferro, president, Disney Promoting: Focus in your clients. Whereas this isn’t a brand new lesson for me being within the trade for 25 years, in actually dynamic instances, it’s extra essential than ever to remain customer-focused. Put money into your staff. When you may have one of the 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 also be critically essential 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 when you don’t shortly modify your methods to accommodate these modifications, the enterprise will move you by. We have to embrace the altering expertise and altering viewer habits inflicting all this disruption, even when meaning tossing out a strategic plan we dedicated to 6 months in the past.
Marianne Gambelli, president of promoting gross sales, advertising and model partnerships, Fox Corp.: This 12 months additional validated the power, resiliency and affect of premium reside content material and marquee occasion programming. It continues to interact giant audiences and ship unmatched scale for advertisers not like some other content material—and this by no means was extra evident than through the fall. At Fox, we delivered unprecedented rankings with our protection of the boys’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 evening. 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 looking for scale, stability and affect, reside content material and marquee occasions and programming have by no means been extra in demand. We’ll proceed to supply such a 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 technique of studying) learn how to work, handle and lead in a hybrid work surroundings. It has modified drastically because the pandemic and requires a unique strategy. It’s important to discover a method to inspire folks in an surroundings none of us are used to. That is undoubtedly 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 house 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 convey 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 might help me study TV. As for the tradition of Netflix, I’m loving it! So far, every thing I’ve learn, corresponding to Reed Hastings’ e book, 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 stay up for experiencing extra of this model and might’t wait to see what the longer term holds.
John Halley, president, Paramount Promoting: There is no such thing as a 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 danger on this trade. It’s a method for achievement.
Kim Kelleher, chief business officer, AMC Networks: Anticipate the surprising. That is simply not the surroundings for complacency or blind certainty. Issues are transferring too quick and are too vulnerable to sudden opportunistic or defensive modifications. 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 doable when exterior components past your management come into play. Navigating the present panorama isn’t for the faint of coronary heart. The important thing factor any chief can convey 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 options, Roku: My dad grew up within the restaurant trade. He usually stated: Should you’re going to be the chef, be sure to decide your individual elements. 2022 has been each thrilling and difficult for our trade. A very powerful factor I realized–or maybe reaffirmed–was that our trade has the elements to make promoting higher for customers, 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 have interaction 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 shoppers and colleagues to seek out options–leaning in and listening with higher 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 might 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: How you can seamlessly change from laptop to telephone and vice versa whereas on Zoom calls.
Shelby Saville, chief funding officer, Publicis Media Alternate: I’ve realized that shoppers’ 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’s not 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 become warning because the headwinds all of us confronted gained power. The must be able to adapt to altering enterprise realities of our consumer companions was paramount to our collective success. Transparency of dialogue, recognizing the NOW but in addition defending the longer term are conversations which can be greatest had when you’ll be able to current different eventualities and paths ahead. Are you able to contract spend as wanted? After all, however the larger query is how a lot and the place, and what are the ramifications? The notion of shared duty and partnership greatest come to gentle when choices will be mentioned.
Rob Sharenow, president of programming, A+E Networks: Individuals nonetheless like to have collective cultural experiences, and TV is an incredible car 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: 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 grow to be the world’s main Spanish-language media firm, remodeled our advert gross sales enterprise within the U.S. and launched a number of new subtle capabilities which can be 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 shoppers.
Jon Steinlauf, Warner Bros Discovery’s chief U.S. promoting gross sales officer: All through my profession, I’ve skilled unpredictable conditions and instances 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 surprising.
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 simplest ways to “lead the market” is to be versatile. Our market evaluation on the finish of March appeared very totally different than it did at first 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 essential function non-aligned, ad-supported media corporations have in shaping the worldwide market. Whereas the most important shifts the enterprise is experiencing might profit a choose few, it very nicely could also be as much as the independents to innovate and transfer the trade ahead.
