Now the commercial application just got that much more enticing, because now when we go to brands, we have connectivity, not only between Season 1 and Season 2, but we have connectivity between one of our most prominent linear networks and our streaming service, HBO Max. So there are definitely sponsorship opportunities that will be cross-platform, but also targeting abilities to reach specific audiences across both.
Voltaggio: If we could utilize the content in multiple areas and create a larger audience with incremental reach for our clients, it’s a win-win. With technology to cross over and sell in a converged fashion, so we can bundle it up for our clients, it makes it more meaty for them, more worthwhile.
WBD has taken those partnerships a step further by setting up activities and activations around specific shows and movies, reaching out to fans directly. How has that appealed to advertisers?
Gould: It’s two different applications. The first is creating new experiences and events for and around our IP in partnerships with brands, and we did this as recently as a few weeks ago, around the season three finale of The White Lotus. We set up an activation at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles, in partnership with American Express, Diageo, and Google—who were partners of the show—and this allowed them an opportunity to not only put their products in the hands of hundreds of thousands of fans, but also build social buzz and marketing with influencers. So we will continue to do that.
The other application is where we can show up on existing events in a unique way that cuts through the noise. We mentioned Comic-Con with Rick and Morty. The Last of Us had an activation at South by Southwest this year. How can we potentially show up at Coachella, Art Basel, Sundance, where there are existing audiences, where there’s an endemic fit with our IP? We definitely want to bring brands along for that ride.
In the TNT Sports segment of the upfront, WBD acknowledged what that division looked like last year when it still held NBA rights, but showed advertisers that it had substantial sports partnerships in the College Football Playoff, Roland-Garros (The French Open), the Unrivaled women’s basketball league, the Big East, and the Big 12, among other areas. What has buyer reaction been to the new configuration?
Gould: Ad buyers and brands appreciate our approach with our sports portfolio, because it’s straightforward, it’s sober, and it’s honest. We know what our sports portfolio is today versus what it was last year, and we’re genuinely excited about it.
The way that we interact with sports fans is different: It makes you feel good; it makes you feel warm and fuzzy; it makes you laugh. It’s serious, and it’s entertaining at the same time. What you find with brand partnerships is a very similar approach. If you look at the marketing that we do around our sports versus a competitive set, it’s more thoughtful. It’s more collaborative.
