If Day 1 of the 2025 Upfronts was marked by the unexpected, Day 2 was more of what advertisers have come to expect each year: big shows and big stars on the big stage.
TelevisaUnivision Advertising brought out the ritmo latino, bright colors and infectious energy we love at Hall des Lumieres, and Disney Advertising went all out in the way only Disney can — kicking off with a Mickey-led marching band, and a Manning Brothers Broadway number. And those were hardly the biggest moments.
Here’s what else stood out to us at the second day of the 2025 TV Upfronts:
TelevisaUnivision bridges generations, with a focus on Gen-Z
The theme of TelevisaUnivision’s morning presentation was clear from the start, when singer Prince Royce performed Spanglish versions of hit songs that spanned the decades — beginning with mid-century hits like “My Girl” and bringing us to the present.
The message? TelevisaUnivision is about cultural relevance, bringing together a diverse, intergenerational audience around a unified La Cultura.
That drive was most apparent in how THE multicultural media company is tailoring their programming to meet the moment with Gen-Z audiences. The network is investing heavily in mobile-first microdramas streaming on ViX and new reality TV shows, a genre particularly popular with its younger viewers. In addition, it’s creating vertical video, making new shows with popular influencers, and creating a new music festival called YA, named for “Young American” music fans.
That’s good news for advertisers. As our good friend Donna Speciale shared, EDO data finds that TelevisaUnivision programming is already more effective at driving online consumer engagement than the average English-language content on TV. With all their new taste-making content previewed on stage, TU will be even more effective at moving the coveted Gen-Z audience closer to purchase for its brand partners. They are truly becoming more than media, and the heart of an increasingly multicultural CTV.
Disney flexes its wide world of live sports and massive IP muscles
There’s only one Disney, and The Mouse put on a spectacle as big and colorful as its iconic theme parks.
Attendees returning to the Javits Center were treated to a fast-moving who’s who across sports and entertainment, including Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Ayo Edebiri, Jeremy Allen White, Robin Roberts, Sarah Paulson, Glenn Close, Diego Luna, Charlie Cox, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Kimmel, and the fastest-rising leading man in Hollywood, Glen Powell. And that doesn’t even include Bob Iger, Chewbacca, R2D2, and more (we had to wait for the Andor finale last night for K-2SO).
It’s undeniable that Disney’s biggest differentiator is the sort of intellectual property that’s instantly recognizable across generations and cultures. The company showed off its new direct-to-consumer ESPN streaming service, its powerful commitment to women’s sports, continuations of kid-friendly franchises like Moana and Inside Out, a taste of the fourth-coming season of The Bear, multiple Star Wars projects, and new additions to the Marvel TV universe. And we even got to see a live-action Lilo on-stage!
As our longtime friend Rita Ferro said, “Our mission is clear, and it's to entertain our consumers with unrivaled content and experiences while delivering unmatched value. You'll see the full force of our portfolio come to life on this stage.”
Or, as Jimmy Kimmel put it more bluntly in his laser-sharp and surprisingly poignant closing roast, “We are about one thing, and one thing only: IP. Our IP is the most powerful.” (Really, you have to watch Kimmel’s excellent monologue including his plea to support journalism like CBS’ 60 Minutes.)
And with that, as the strange doctor once said, “We’re in the endgame now.” We’ll see you back here as WBD, Netflix, and YouTube close out the Upfronts.