Fox re-emerges with new ad formats and start-up feel
Fox is taking a "start-up mindset" as it forges ahead as a newly emerged company.
Fox Entertainment chief Charlie Collier presents at new Fox's first upfront show
This slimmed-down, spun-off version of Fox held its first upfronts presentation yesterday (13 May) following Disney's $71.3bn acquisition of many 21st Century Fox assets in March.
Fox Entertainment chief executive officer Charlie Collier said the company is "proudly ad-friendly" and "proudly independent".
Collier pushed new Fox's collection of entertainment, news and sports; Fox Sports has been building out its sales team post-Disney deal.
Marianne Gambelli, who was named president Fox Corp.’s ad sales in October, introduced four new ad formats, saying the company's two guiding principals are to maximize the value of a brand's advertising and to enhane the audience's viewing experience.
Fast Breaks are the next iteration of Fox's JAZ pods, two 30-second spots get placed in 'just the A and Z positions'. Fast Breaks are 60-second spots in the first pod, which Gambelli describes as a more widely-available verision of JAZ pods.
Prediction Pods will integrate social conversations into on-air ads. For example, these ads could include a live polling scorecard in the lower-third of the screen asking viewers to guess what happens next in an episode.
Absolute A ads gives advertsiers excluvisve ownership of pre-roll spots on streamed shows. It will be available across nearly all digital platforms and devices.
Future Now gives viewers the access to watch future episodes of a Fox show on digital platforms. So if a viewer watches episode one of a series, they can watch the next two episodes online before their linear air date, and advertisers can buy into that future content to "reward" viewers with the new episodes.
This can include pre-roll takeovers, co-branded end-cards and co-branded weekly social posts. Viewers can stream future content on Fox Now, Fox on Hulu and set-top box on-demand.
"But innovation isn’t just about ad products," said Gambelli. "It’s also about data and analytics. We know the industry is evolving from traditional demographics to more targeted audiences."
Fox is also adding four new comedies and six new dramas to it's 2019-2020 lineup. It also renewed The Masked Singer, which will debut its third season directly following next year's Super Bowl. Fox will also premier WWE’s Smackdown Live in October.
Hulu touted its new binge ad format during its NewFronts presentation earlier this month.