As part of Adweek’s ongoing year-in-review TV coverage, we asked 26 TV executives and insiders to explain the most important thing they learned in 2022.
Some of the experts kept it brief, talking about the need for flexibility in a constantly changing market, and other executives reflected on the power of live sports to capture massive audiences. Then, of course, there were those that were proud of finally mastering an ongoing pain point within the industry: Zoom calls.
Here are the most important things TV executives, ad sales chiefs and buyers learned in 2022:
Dani Benowitz, president, U.S., Magna: This year has taught me the true meaning of partnership and the significance of partnerships in our industry. This includes understanding what it takes to be a good partner from both sides of the desk. It’s been a year filled with unpredictability, and navigating it has required compassion, creativity and collaboration. It’s been inspiring to see how many good partners have showed up throughout the industry in 2022.
Frances Berwick, chairman, entertainment networks, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming: Linear TV is still unmatched when it comes to driving the biggest reach. Look no further than Thanksgiving Day on NBC, which reached nearly 100M viewers across our entertainment and sports programming.
Geoffrey Calabrese, Omnicom Media Group’s North American chief investment officer: Transitioning the industry to new currency is a real challenge. You are asking publishers, clients and agencies to fundamentally change their way of transacting and measuring media. While we all know it is the way to go, getting there is harder than it sounds.
David Campanelli, evp and chief investment officer, Horizon Media: That streaming isn’t quite ready to save the media world yet like most people thought.
Craig Erwich, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment president: Two things: scheduling is still really important, and comedy is alive and well on broadcast television. Take Abbott Elementary, which we launched behind Live in Front of a Studio Audience a year ago. Debuting a new series behind a tentpole event and then making the episode available on Hulu for nearly a month before the next episode aired on ABC created an even larger sampling opportunity and provided the longest runway possible for viewers to discover the show. And this year, Abbott went on to deliver our highest-rated comedy telecast in three years and the largest delayed-viewing increase for any ABC comedy ever.
Rita Ferro, president, Disney Advertising: Focus on your customers. While this isn’t a new lesson for me being in the industry for 25 years, in really dynamic times, it’s more important than ever to stay customer-focused. Invest in your team. When you have the best talent and teamwork in the industry, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish. The need to remain nimble, flexible and consultative is also critically important as the marketplace adapts to macro-economic forces.
Kathleen Finch, chairman and CCO, U.S. Networks Group, Warner Bros. Discovery: Flexibility is a highly underrated professional trait. The media business is changing almost daily, and if you don’t quickly adjust your strategies to accommodate those changes, the business will pass you by. We need to embrace the changing technology and changing viewer habits causing all this disruption, even if that means tossing out a strategic plan we committed to six months ago.
Marianne Gambelli, president of advertising sales, marketing and brand partnerships, Fox Corp.: This year further validated the strength, resiliency and impact of premium live content and marquee event programming. It continues to engage large audiences and deliver unrivaled scale for advertisers unlike any other content—and this never was more evident than during the fall. At Fox, we delivered unprecedented ratings with our coverage of the men’s FIFA World Cup, college football and NFL. During the November midterm elections, Fox News Channel was the most-watched network in all of television on election night. The Masked Singer and Hell’s Kitchen continued to deliver exciting moments that engaged audiences and created social buzz. In a marketplace where advertisers are searching for scale, stability and impact, live content and marquee events and programming have never been more in demand. We’ll continue to provide this type of great content in 2023 for advertisers and viewers, which includes the biggest event in all of television–the Super Bowl in February.
Amy Ginsberg, chief investment officer, Havas Media Group: I’ve learned (and am still in the process of learning) how to work, manage and lead in a hybrid work environment. It has changed drastically since the pandemic and requires a different approach. It is critical to find a way to motivate people in an environment none of us are used to. This is definitely a work in progress.
Jeremi Gorman, president worldwide advertising, Netflix: I learned to answer calls from unknown numbers because it may just be a call from someone wanting to talk to you about your dream job! In all seriousness though, I am learning an incredible amount about the TV space and about working in the “No Rules Rules” culture made famous by Netflix. With over 2 decades of digital experience, I am fortunate to bring an unconventional TV background to the table, but I know that I need to supplement that with my own learning and to surround myself with exceptional colleagues and partners who can help me learn TV. As for the culture of Netflix, I am loving it! Thus far, everything I have read, such as Reed Hastings’ book, to the culture memo, has been true. Everyone here is extremely helpful, smart and willing to make decisions quickly within the framework of the culture. I look forward to experiencing more of this style and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
John Halley, president, Paramount Advertising: There is no more orthodoxy. The media business is changing so quickly. From Netflix to Meta, we saw things we never would have expected a year ago.
Alison Hoffman, president, Domestic Networks, Starz: Our strategy of being bold and differentiated was reaffirmed this year with the triumphant return of P-Valley, whose second season drove explosive audience growth and universal critical acclaim. Being boundary-breaking isn’t a risk in this industry. It’s a formula for success.
Kim Kelleher, chief commercial officer, AMC Networks: Expect the unexpected. This is just not the environment for complacency or blind certainty. Things are moving too fast and are too prone to sudden opportunistic or defensive changes. But what you can do is know your core business and its strengths and unique value proposition cold so you can move as quickly as possible when outside factors beyond your control come into play. Navigating the current landscape is not for the faint of heart. The key thing any leader can bring to the task is a deep understanding of their own business as the constant in a roiling sea of variables.
Alison Levin, vp, ad revenue and marketing solutions, Roku: My dad grew up in the restaurant industry. He often said: If you’re going to be the chef, make sure you pick your own ingredients. 2022 has been both exciting and challenging for our industry. The most important thing I learned–or perhaps reaffirmed–was that our industry has the ingredients to make advertising better for consumers, brands and content owners.
Chris McCarthy, president/CEO, Showtime and Paramount Media Networks: Culture matters now more than ever–from the way we engage our audiences, our partners, our content and our teams–when we’re all driving toward a shared purpose which is to entertain and empower our viewers, we drive exceptional business results.
Dennis Miller, president, The CW Network: The power of broadcast.
Peter Olsen, evp, ad sales, A+E Networks: I’ve enjoyed working even more closely with clients and colleagues to find solutions–leaning in and listening with greater acuity. Clearly, our world has reached peak complexity. From understanding the business challenges of our partners across the table to recognizing those of our internal colleagues, we could all benefit from taking the time to appreciate the motivations of our peers in an effort to help craft a true solution to the actual problems at hand.
Amy Reisenbach, president, CBS Entertainment: How to seamlessly switch from computer to phone and vice versa while on Zoom calls.
Shelby Saville, chief investment officer, Publicis Media Exchange: I’ve learned that clients’ need for continued flexibility was not just something isolated to the early days of the pandemic. We’re seeing an ongoing need to respond and react to real business needs in real-time, and that is not going away anytime soon.
Dave Sederbaum, evp, head of video investment, Dentsu: Always have a plan B! In all seriousness, it is about being nimble and ready to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. The economic optimism that started the year turned into caution as the headwinds we all faced gained strength. The need to be ready to adapt to changing business realities of our client partners was paramount to our collective success. Transparency of dialogue, recognizing the NOW but also protecting the future are conversations that are best had when you can present alternative scenarios and paths forward. Can you contract spend as needed? Of course, but the bigger question is how much and where, and what are the ramifications? The notion of shared responsibility and partnership best come to light when options can be discussed.
Rob Sharenow, president of programming, A+E Networks: People still love to have collective cultural experiences, and TV is an amazing vehicle to make that happen. Twenty-one million viewers watched our Janet Jackson mega documentary, which was enormously gratifying.
Donna Speciale. president of TelevisaUnivision U.S. ad sales and marketing: I always say it takes a village, and this year was no exception. We started off 2022 with the landmark merger to become the world’s leading Spanish-language media company, transformed our ad sales business in the U.S. and launched several new sophisticated capabilities that are delivering material impact for our brand and agency partners. It’s been an incredible year of growth, and I’m really proud of TelevisaUnivision’s U.S. Ad Sales team for driving forth a new go-to-market strategy that’s really resonating with our clients.
Jon Steinlauf, Warner Bros Discovery’s chief U.S. advertising sales officer: Throughout my career, I’ve experienced unpredictable situations and times in the industry, in the marketplace and in the state of the world, this year included. My biggest takeaway is to always be prepared for the unexpected.
Stacey Stewart, U.S. chief marketplace officer, UM: I’ve learned a lot around sustainability and what we as an industry can do to address our growing climate crisis right now and in the future.
Matt Sweeney, chief investment officer of GroupM U.S.: Sometimes the best way to “lead the market” is to be flexible. Our market analysis at the end of March looked very different than it did at the beginning of February.
Rob Wade, CEO, Fox Entertainment: It’s more of a validation than a learning, but 2022 is the year that proved the resiliency and important role non-aligned, ad-supported media companies have in shaping the global market. While the major shifts the business is experiencing may benefit a select few, it very well may be up to the independents to innovate and move the industry forward.
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