• Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, May 3, 2016 10:30 AM

The NewFronts are in full swing -- with nearly 40 companies like YouTube, BuzzFeed, WebMD, PopSugar and Hulu hosting dog and pony shows designed to showcase new offerings for advertisers and media buyers that will entice them to open their wallets a little more. The Wall Street Journal reports that the NewFronts, which began several years ago, "represent the digital world’s attempt to mimic the TV upfront selling season, when ad buyers and marketers are offered a glimpse at upcoming content in hopes they will lock down advertising deals in advance." The Journal asked some media buyers about their thoughts on the NewFronts: “The NewFronts have to go from being a showcase to a marketplace. We are still not there yet. ...If you look at what has happened in the past, there has been a lot of programs that failed to launch. Unlike the TV networks, which often air shows and then cancel them, much of the content shown at the NewFronts doesn’t even get made because it lacks advertiser interest," said Adam Shlachter, president of VM1, a division of Zenith Media.

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