With upfront week displays giving method to a wave of negotiations, ADWEEK continues our postmortem sit-downs with the presenting advert gross sales leaders.
Following our dialog with NBCU’s Mark Marshall, subsequent up is Jeff Collins, president of promoting gross sales, advertising and marketing and model partnerships for Fox Leisure. That is Collins’ first time main the Fox upfront after taking on for a retiring Marianne Gambelli earlier this 12 months.
Fox’s upfront presentation from New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday showcased the variety of the corporate’s 2024 choices, with tentpoles together with presidential election protection, Main League Baseball’s upcoming Negro League tribute sport, Huge Midday school soccer protection, Tremendous Bowl 59 in New Orleans, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup within the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
The corporate paired these bulletins with expertise together with Tom Brady, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Erin Andrews, Deion Sanders and Gus Johnson.
Following the occasion, Collins spoke with ADWEEK in regards to the early demand for Tremendous Bowl 59, which is reportedly going for at the least $7 million per 30-second advert; how the corporate is approaching election alternatives in a divisive political local weather; and what it was like to steer Fox’s upfront for the primary time.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
ADWEEK: How was your first time main the upfront as Fox’s advert gross sales president?
Jeff Collins: I’m extremely happy with our crew. The shopper suggestions that we’ve obtained to this point has been very sturdy. I assumed this system was very entertaining, but additionally with numerous substance, and I believe it actually demonstrated the total energy of all of our manufacturers collectively and the world-class expertise that we now have.
The upfront made a degree of connecting every component of the portfolio both via transitions or expertise. What had been you attempting to indicate consumers?
There are numerous pure connections in our portfolio, so I believe the technique this 12 months was to display these pure contact factors after which present advertisers how they will capitalize on that.
