Inside NBCUniversal’s 2024 front

Snoop Dogg and Mike Trigo, Olympic fanatics

Virginia Sherwood/NBC Universal/Getty Images

For one magical week, everyone who gets their hands anywhere near the advertising purse strings is pampered like royalty — unless god help them, they’re trying to grab a frame. Wicked Trailer. Because anyone who made it during Monday morning’s NBCUniversal transparency presentation is probably halfway to a black platform right now.

Chief content officer Donna Langley warned from the stage at Radio City Music Hall, „We’ve got security around the place with night vision and laser pointers, and the room suddenly lit up emerald green. The crowd laughed, but she wasn’t kidding. The yet-to-be-released full trailer for the Broadway adaptation gives its sneak peek. During the broadcast, four people near me were berated with flashlights for phone use.

There is no need to dissect the irony of a media giant offering one of the most pressing slots in a two-hour claim to promote a film. There’s no room for irony in a marathon of pitches to media buyers, where the marquee participants will be streamers who once declined the offer of commercial breaks. It’s 2024. Hollywood really does sing for its dinner, and advertising stacks have found their way onto every major streamer — two of which, Amazon and Netflix, are participating in this dog-and-pony show for the first time.

With that competition in mind, NBCU tried to sell advertisers everything but their space’s art deco carpet. Leader Mark Lazarus exaggerates OppenheimerThe Peacock NFL game and BravoCon are in the same breath. Wicked trailer (which stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande notably absent), trailers for Peacock originals and the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. The good news for NBCU? The trio seemed to play well in the room with the ad package — though they’ll have to wait until 2025. Wicked To get its ad-supported streaming functionality.

The Olympics always play well at an NBCU event, and Monday was no exception. Primetime Olympics host Mike Trigo promised „viewer impressions of eight Super Bowls” from the Paris Games, a promise the room approved. But Trigo was somewhat overshadowed by rising Olympic personality Snoop Dogg, who joined him on stage.

„For anyone who doesn’t think this is real, DO Double G is actually going to Paris with Mike Trigo,” he said, quickly moving on to a Drake diss track joke. „Not an AI, but a real snoop.”

Trizio began to break down in one of the funniest moments of the morning. „What happened to my career?” He died. „What’s happening to me?”

Ah, Mike, that’s a question many people are asking themselves this week.

As for the trailers, Kevin Hart and Taraji B. There was a lot of excitement when Henson showed a slick ad for the 1970s miniseries. Fight Night. The spot received general nods — and Dan Cheadle, Chloe Bailey and Samuel L. This impressive cast includes Jackson. If there was a second place for best sizzle reel, that honor might have gone to the documentary series America. Tom Hanks portrays a group of penguins ravaged by a wave before narrowly escaping death by a sea lion. with In that room. Oh, did it play.

The TV-eyed can be excited about the first presentation of the week. Oxygen may have been injected into the floor theater. Either way, the crowd generally seemed to dig what was on offer, although this particular attendee could have missed the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve-incoming music in Little Big Town. the voice Panelist Michael Bublin briefly attempts to spin from jazz to rap.

However, it was NBC that didn’t get much of a crowd. Aside from the obligatory presence of network stalwarts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, both sidelined by a new WGA strike the previous year, the broadcast network didn’t get much non-Olympic attention. So is Wendi McLendon-Covey, star of an upcoming network sitcom St. Denis MedicineDeclaring that „there is no substitute for broadcasting,” her words couldn’t help but feel a little hollow.

But during such an uplifting occasion as the teaser for country singer Reba McEntire’s third sitcom, there’s no room for major sticking points for the company or the entertainment industry. (McEntire wasn’t even on hand, filming a live episode stuck in Los Angeles. the voice.) What hints of bad news there were came from an honest Langley and yet ruthless, Seth Meyers. „It’s a tricky time for TV, but it could be worse,” he said. But his best zinger was reserved for another competitor, namely the star of the day’s other presentation.

„If you’re looking ahead to Fox News, it’s happening outside of a lower Manhattan courtroom,” he said with as many laughs as he could muster.

However, the widespread sense that seismic shifts in the entertainment industry cannot prevent everything from being the same may have been amusing. An orchestra played Law and order The theme, Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, journalists championed the power of The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Kelly Clarkson closed the show with an irresistible rendition of „Since You’ve Been Gone.” We’ve seen it all before. But sticking around seems to be reason enough for celebration these days.