• by Alex Weprin , May 15, 2019

WarnerMedia, in its first upfront presentation since being acquired by AT&T, leaned heavily into the power of its parent company at its upfront presentation Wednesday morning.

The company touted AT&T’s millions of direct customer relationships, and sister company Xandr’s data and analytics chops.

“What makes us smarter? What makes this year different? What sets us apart? Our ability to leverage AT&T’s data with Xandr’s insights. As part of AT&T, we can now transact on 170 million direct-to-consumer relationships,” WarnerMedia president of ad sales Donna Speciale said.

“Today we are the new WarnerMedia. We’ve always had great content. Now, coupled with AT&T, we are a global powerhouse that reaches people wherever they are and delivers engaging content to every member of the family.”

The company leaned into advertising, striking a tone similar to NBCUniversal earlier in the week. While other streaming platforms are shunning ads, they are embracing them.

“We are absolutely committed to pushing the creative and commercial boundaries of the advertising experience, building better solutions for our partners, and working side by side with you — everyone here in the audience — to lead the evolution of our industry,” WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey told the crowd, to kick off the presentation.

The company plans to roll out its ad-supported streaming service early last year, after it first rolls out its premium subscription offering.

Details on the upcoming WarnerMedia streaming service remain slim, though WarnerMedia Chief Content Officer Kevin Reilly reiterated that it will be an “integrated” product, incorporating content from every part of the company.

“When we introduce our new WarnerMedia service early next year, you’ll see not only a very attractive new alternative in the SVOD marketplace. You’ll see a more integrated approach from WarnerMedia,” Reilly said. ‘The addition of our new streaming connection to the consumer, plus each of our networks’ distinct assets, distinct audience profiles and massive reach – all working together – will be an equation few, if any, will be able to match.”

Shows from the Turner family of networks will appear on the streaming service, while streaming originals may make their way to the networks.