The 2025 Upfronts made one thing clear: we are living in an era of shrinking differences among the leading convergent TV media companies.
Every major media company — whether born in the streaming age or the broadcast-cable era — came to the stage with the same powerful trio: great programming, compelling live moments, and increasingly sophisticated ad tech.
Live sports felt dominant across much of the Upfronts, but the leagues, led by the savvy NFL, are deliberately spreading the wealth. Healthy competition for sports rights is a strategy.
What was once a clash of exclusives, formats, and philosophies now feels like a level playing field.
Let me be clear. Flat does not mean sameness.
NBCUniversal brought a blitzkrieg of globally important live events. FOX Advertising touted its Tubi success story. And Amazon Ads leaned hard into its shopper data.
TelevisaUnivision Advertising delivered new innovations in Gen-Z storytelling and Disney Advertising brought a rolling thunder of IP and talent.
Warner Bros. Discovery flexed with prestige storytelling and global franchises, Netflix introduced a new Ad Suite that proves it’s serious about becoming a performance-driven platform, and YouTube reminded us it’s still a Goliath when it comes to engaging young viewers at scale.
Everyone brought their A-game, and it was genuinely impressive.
But for advertisers making investment decisions in this landscape, the traditional differentiators — original programming, live sports, tech — just aren’t differentiating anymore. You can get all three at any of the major players.
So what actually matters?
Outcomes.
In a flattening landscape, the biggest questions advertisers should be asking are: Where can I drive real business results? Then, how much should I be willing to pay?
That’s the new battleground.
All the major convergent TV media companies have big hits, major events, and the data and tech to back it up.
In this environment, these types of questions are essential:
- Which combination of audiences, programs, and creative options will give me the most impact for my budget?
- Which can deliver the most outcome-optimized frequency at a reasonable price?
- How do I maximize the geographies where my audience is most engaged with my brand relative to my competitors?
It’s not about who has the buzziest IP or the most polished sizzle reel (although I got fired up watching Netflix’s behind-the-scenes look at the new season of Stranger Things). It’s about how you can most effectively drive consumer action — brand searches, site visits, app downloads, store traffic, product research, and sales.
For years, advertisers were forced to choose between reach and results, between branding and performance. Convergent TV has collapsed that binary, and now we’re seeing a flatter landscape. The opportunity — and the imperative — for advertisers is to hold all media partners to the same outcomes-based standard.
Last year’s Upfronts signaled the dawn of the Convergent TV Singularity, where the distinction between “linear” and “streaming” media companies is no longer relevant to media buyers.
In 2025, we’re seeing the beginning of a new decision framework: one where success isn’t defined by what a platform has, but by the consumer consideration and intent it actually delivers.
Outcomes are the difference-maker now.