Netflix Swoops in on Paramount’s Abandoned Upfronts Spot

Just last week our entertainment attorney and industry expert, Brandon Blake of Blake & Wang P.A, broke the news that Paramount will be skipping out on its long-term spot at the Upfronts. While the dust was still settling on that shocking revelation, Netflix has already moved in to make the most of it.

Brandon Blake


Taking Over the Paris Theater


This means that Netflix will hold its very first Upfronts presentation on May 17th 2023, using the Paris Theater NYC venue instead of Paramount’s Carnegie Hall. We will see a presentation at 5pm (ET) followed by a larger event on Wednesday of the Upfronts week, the spot previously held by Paramount.

It’s very likely that their new interest in joining the Upfronts is hoping to power up their freshly-launched ad supported tier, which hasn’t gained the initial traction they hoped for but remains an interesting development in the brand’s calendar. Paramount will instead be using a series of individualized presentations to key stakeholders, scheduled for April this year. 


Following YouTube


Netflix will be the second ‘new’ face at the Upfronts, with YouTube making their inaugural pitch last year. We also saw Google muscle in on some of the space typically ruled over by legacy TV institutions like Fox Corp and NBCUniversal. While they’ve had a strong presence at the more digitally-focused IAB NewFronts, this was an interesting development in itself. 

We have yet to see Netflix offer solid subscription numbers for its latest tier, but their last reported subscription total count was 223 million as of October. No doubt we will see more about the newer tier when they present their Q4 earnings towards the end of January.

Overall, there’s an interesting shift coming for one of the industry’s most beloved fixtures. It will be interesting to see whether any other key studios follow Paramount’s more intimate example, or whether the strong presence cast on the industry by Upfronts week will continue to be a drawcard.