BUSINESS OF DATA

The Business Of Data With Jon Lafayette: Upfront Edition

Jon Lafayette

May 14, 2026 • 4 min read

It would not be true to say that big data upstaged the biggest names at this year's upfronts. It is hard to upstage Oprah, JLo, Kimmel or Tom Brady, even with AI. That said, it was clear that if buyers had dollars signs in their eyes, as opposed to stars, they were being offered all manner of capabilities designed to reach the right viewer at the right time with the right message to produce sales. Please see the examples below.

Thanks to this week's newsletter sponsor, Truthset

Outcomes Grow As Critical Factor in Upfront Buying: iSpot Report

Spending on TV to remain the same or decline from last year, according to more than 50% of marketers surveyed

At TV upfront presentations taking place this week, marketers’ attention is turning to outcomes as they decide how to spend their advertising dollars.

A new survey of marketers from iSpot found that business outcomes was the most critical factor when buying and negotiating media buys. Outcomes was chosen by 45.5% of respondents. iSpot said the emphasis on outcomes reflects the growing use of TV as a performance medium.

Other factors cited by respondents to the survey were verified ad delivery, named by 28.5%, efficiency (14.5%) and program ratings (9%). [READ MORE]

Netflix Pushes Ad Tech During Upfront Presentation

Netflix quickly took over the streaming world. After a slow start, Netflix says it is capturing the TV ad business as well.

“If the last couple of years were about proving we’re a durable player, this year is about establishing ourselves as a more formidable one,” said Amy Reinhard, president of advertising at Netflix, during the company’s upfront presentation on Wednesday.

“We’ve got cutting edge tech, we’ve got great entertainment across shows, movies, podcasts and live events. And we’ve got the most engaged and attentive audience,” Reinhard said. “We’ve proven we’re effective. We’re expanding ads to more places. And we’re ready to compete with anyone.” [READ MORE]

TV Companies Unite On Outcomes to Battle Digital Rivals

In the midst of upfront week, most of the largest TV companies said they were banding together to battle the big-tech walled gardens that are siphoning off a growing share of video advertising dollars.

The companies are working with OpenAP to create a shared system offering a standardized way for advertisers to measure outcomes and buy audiences.

Outcomes is the key buzzword at this year’s upfront. The digital giants offer advertisers a load of information about the impact of their campaigns based on their own internal data and systems. The traditional television industry is fragmented, making it hard to compete. [READ MORE]

Jimmy Kimmel Scores at Disney’s Sports-Centric, Star-Studded Upfront

As usual, Jimmy Kimmel told the truth at Disney’s upfront on Wednesday.

A huge chunk of Disney’s presentation was about sports. Jalen Brunson of the Knicks got the biggest cheers. The Savannah Bananas sang and danced. Joe Buck hugged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Peyton Manning hugged his brother Eli.

All of that led into Disney’s ambitious plans to air the Super Bowl on ABC and ESPN. [READ MORE]

Day One At the Upfront: Oprah Vs. Outcomes

It turns out that at Day One of the upfronts, “O” didn’t just stand for outcomes. It also stood for Oprah.

At the upfront presentations, the networks sang and danced about the glories of TV and TV advertising. There were plenty of bold-faced names from entertainment, sports and news making their way across the stage.

An appearance by Oprah Winfrey at Amazon’s event might have been the biggest moment, but a good amount of talk was about data and driving outcomes. [READ MORE]

DirecTV Outdoor Campaign Welcomes Buyers to the Upfront

This week, a lot of networks will show a lot of programming to media buyers. All of that programming will be available to watch on DirecTV.

When DirecTV made its upfront pitch in April, it was emphatic that it’s not another programmer. “We’re not your dad’s satellite company. We’re a platform,” said Amy Leifer, chief advertising officer at DirecTV Advertising.

To be a TV platform these days, technology is table stakes. The tech is used to keep viewers engaged by making it faster and easier to find shows they want to watch. More to the point during upfront season, it means helping advertisers find the right viewers, the consumers brands want to reach. [READ MORE]