NEW YORK — In the last several years, many of the Upfront Week presentations designed to gain early advertiser commitments for what’s to come across the forthcoming “broadcast” calendar have extended well beyond both the “legacy” broadcast and cable assets. For some companies, streaming platforms took center stage, placing networks in a somewhat diminished spotlight.
For Mark Marshall and his team at NBCUniversal, the 2026 Upfront presentation made it clear that, on the 100th anniversary of NBC, the longtime broadcast assets are just as valuable as what’s on Peacock.
Marshall, Chairman of Global Advertising & Partnerships at NBCUniversal, was the first company executive to address the crowd at Radio City Music Hall for the Upfront.
His appearance onstage came after a recorded bit in which he planned on putting an “NBC 100” tattoo on his chest, as his legs already were emblazoned with logos of key advertising partners. For Marshall, it spoke of how NBCU is seeking “authentic integrations.”
Marshall then asked the crowd of Chief Marketing Officers, media buyers, client-side buyers and advertising executive leaders what they’ve heard or said about NBCU being a “legacy media” organization.
While “legacy media” has been viewed negatively by many in the marketing and advertising space for its inability to deliver what digital and social media claim, with respect to addressability and targeted messaging, Marshall declared, “Our legacy is our greatest competitive advantage.”
This led Marshall to tout 100 years of NBC, with specific mentions of tentpole events including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which saw its TV debut on NBC in 1953 and in 2025 was its “most-watched” year thanks to simultaneous coverage on Peacock and Telemundo. Marshall also noted how SNL is now global, thanks to its launch in the UK on Sky, as well as across social media.
“For 100 years, NBC has shaped culture by creating moments that capture attention and build fandom at scale alongside our advertising partners,” Marshall said. “That legacy is our foundation and continues to guide how we show up for consumers and brands today. By investing in new innovations, we are embedding advertisers’ goals across our premium portfolio to drive meaningful, lasting impact.”
Yet, when it came time to share what’s new on NBC in prime-time for the 2026-2027 season, NBCUniversal opted to put MVPD-distributed Bravo and its Peacock platform in the front seat of the bandwagon, with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers onstage for a cold open to the entire Upfront (with a riff on the Rosé and Bruno Mars hit “APT”) ahead of a discussion on the “Summer House” reunion already getting buzz across social media.
On Peacock, a forthcoming animated series based on the “Ted” character from Seth MacFarlane is in the works, as is a “Friday the 13th” origin story prequel and the Jennifer Garner-helmed “The Five Star Weekend.”
Marshall then pivoted to discuss how NBCUniversal can offer marketers “a scaled, premium content slate powered by advanced data and AI-driven ad technology.”
Specifically, NBCUniversal’s Performance Insights Hub will see a full-scale rollout in Q4, providing advertisers “with a unified view of campaign delivery, audience insights, and full-funnel, in-flight performance across linear and streaming.”
NBCU adds that the Hub integrates data from measurement partners including Dynata, EDO, InMarket, IQVIA, iSpot, Kantar Affinity Solutions, Kochava, LiveRamp and VideoAmp “to deliver outcomes throughout the funnel and across categories.” With transparent cross-platform results the mission for Marshall and his team, he also discussed LIVE Total Impact, “a first-of-its-kind capability that leverages a brand’s message in big live events and then re-exposes those viewers across the NBCUniversal portfolio in linear and streaming.”
As Marshall elaborated on, this capability has delivered “significant results” since its debut in early 2026, with State Farm seeing a 90% incremental lift in insurance quote starts, he said.
And, building on contextual targeting in Video-on-Demand and library content, NBCU Live Contextual capabilities are set to debut in the fourth quarter. This brings to brands the ability to align their creative message with live content, and “capture the impact and engagement of these moments in real-time with precision, relevancy and speed.”
Additionally, NBCUniversal has developed new, exclusive category-specific contextual advertising opportunities for marketers spanning “glow up moments” for fashion & beauty; family moments for lifecycle milestones; and getaway moments for travel, auto and luxury brands. “NBCUniversal is leveraging the combination of the company’s deep category and content expertise, combined with AI-driven technology, to enable brands to align their message with content that is relevant to their industry,” the company shared.
A CENTENNIAL PROGRAMMING PLAN
From a year-round Sunday sports strategy to another big-gamble reboot, the first hour of the NBCUniversal Upfront presentation included a single mention of TODAY and little in the way of its sports offerings.
What the NBC discussion did include was a look at key prime-time additions. And, that saw a discussion on a highly promoted return of “The Rockford Files,” one of the most popular NBC prime-time programs 50 years ago. New programming getting attention includes “Sunset P.I.,” starring Jake Johnson (“New Girl”) and Jane Levy (“Suburgatory,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”); and “Newlyweds,” starring Téa Leoni and Tim Daly and featuring recurring guest star Jamie Lee Curtis.
From there, the presentation pivoted to “real housewives” — and expletives for Upfront effect — ahead of Jimmy Fallon taking the stage to promote The Tonight Show.
As the noon hour arrived, TODAY and the entire NBC News operation was given a full opportunity to tout its delivery to marketers. That came after a fleeting appearance from legendary soccer play-by-play announcer Andrés Cantor and telenovela star Kate del Castillo, who shared what’s in store from Telemundo viewers across the next 12 months.
Following the appearance of the three lead faces on TODAY, singer Maren Morris performed two songs for the Radio City Music Hall audience. From there, CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” earned a stage spot.
