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Fox News wants to be a part of its audiences’ lifestyles.
Ahead of its live upfront week event on May 15, Fox is holding pre-upfront presentations for its individual business units, and things get started on today with Fox News Media taking the spotlight and making its pitch to advertisers.
The company is looking to showcase the breadth and depth of its portfolio this upfront season, with touchpoints across linear and digital, including Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Nation and Fox Weather. The company also said it launched 22 new programs over the past two years and 24 podcasts last year alone. And though news is the company’s go-to genre, nearly 40% of its reach now comes from lifestyle content across platforms.
Capitalizing on the trends, Fox News Media is offering lifestyle packages and CTV-only plans to advertisers to meet an increased interest in news-adjacent programming, which ranges in everything from Yellowstone: One-Fifty on Fox Nation to Fox News’ Gutfeld!, a show that drops the traditional news format for a late-night feel.
“The benefit for us is just clear in that it offers an opportunity to bring in advertisers that maybe historically didn’t buy into a news environment,” said Jeff Collins, evp of advertising sales at Fox News Inc.
In addition to lifestyle offerings, Fox News Channel is also gearing up for the presidential election. Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum and Shannon Bream, along with the Decision Desk run by Arnon Mishkin, will be back to cover the news, as primaries are months away.
“I think people are surprised when I mentioned to them that the first debate is going to be this summer. Our first debate, part of the Republican primary, is going to take place in August,” Collins said.
Collins explained that the initial coverage is just the beginning. Though primaries will go through the fourth and first quarters, with heightened viewership expected, coverage could also bleed into the second quarter, and conventions will come in the third.
“A large portion of the overall election and election packages we’ll be out with will be running as part of next year’s upfront,” Collins said. “So we’re talking to a lot of our upfront clients about that now and coming on board for that coverage.”
Of course, in terms of elections, Dominion Voting Systems’ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox over the 2020 presidential race could also be on clients’ minds, especially given the multiple reports around deposition filings involving the company’s top execs (including Fox Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch) and talent that have made headlines during the past month.
However, Collins said the company has a regular “cadence of communication with marketers on a case-by-case basis,” and the lawsuit “has not impacted strategy at all.”
He added, “We stayed incredibly focused, and we have not seen any clients cancel or pause campaigns. There’s no impact.”
What to expect
Today’s Fox event is taking place in its studio, which is home to shows such as Gutfeld! and Hannity, giving partners an immersive experience with the breadth and depth of the company’s portfolio on full display. However, press wasn’t invited due to a lack of space.
Things will kick off with opening remarks from Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott, followed by a demo of Studio W with Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean and Fox Weather anchor Amy Freeze, among others.
Then, in the Gutfeld! studio, Collins will walk advertisers through what they can look for this year, spotlighting the company’s “investing in … ” theme. Collins told Adweek that the theme summarizes the company’s messaging.
“What you’re seeing across a lot of other organizations is, unfortunately, a bit of a pullback and pullback from investment, pullback in original content, certainly on the linear side, and we’re doing the exact opposite,” Collins said.
The event will continue with Fox News Media’s president and executive editor Jay Wallace moderating a panel on what buyers can expect in the coming election year. Wallace will be joined by Bret Baier, chief political anchor and executive editor of Special Report; Martha MacCallum, The Story’s anchor and executive editor; and Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream.
Following the panel, Outnumbered and The Faulkner Focus’ Harris Faulkner and Fox News contributor Johnny “Joey” Jones will explain how the company is “investing in … ” America’s heroes through its focus on military and veteran programming. And later, the company will focus on its rising stars, including Bill Melugin, Jackie DeAngelis and Lawrence Jones sharing how Fox is “investing in … ” America’s stories.
Finally, the company will share how advertisers are seeing a “return on investment” thanks to a panel hosted by The Five stars Dana Perino, Jesse Watters, Jeanine Pirro, Jessica Tarlov and Greg Gutfeld. The Five was the most-watched non-sports cable news show in 2022, averaging 3.5 million viewers. The company notes that all of the hosts are “home-grown stars,” and three of the hosts now also have their own programs.
“When you grow ratings, you’re able to increase investment, and you increase investment in original programming that continues to grow ratings even more,” Collins said.
