Ad tech touted during Warner Bros. Discovery's likely final upfront

There was plenty of talk about ad tech at Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s upfront presentation, but not before Robert Voltaggio and Ryan Gould, the co-presidents of US advertising sales, voiced what many media buyers were no doubt thinking.

"We want to address the Ellison ... I mean elephant in the room," joked Volaggio about David Ellison, the chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corp., whose company is expected to complete its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery this fall.

"We don't deflect. That's not who we are," Gould added. "Everyone here knows that there's change ahead and that there's change in our company, but there's change across the entire media industry."

Paramount Skydance outbid Netflix Inc. for all of Warner Bros. Discovery's assets, including the cable networks and the ad-supported version of HBO Max. Paramount Skydance expects the $110 billion transaction to close in September.

Before the ad executives took the stage at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, at what figures to be Warner Bros. Discovery's final upfront as an independent operation, media buyers witnessed a brief tribute video to media maverick and CNN (US) founder Ted Turner, who died May 6.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper called Turner a "bold visionary" whose legacy "continues to inspire this industry every day, and it will for years to come. So, before we start today's presentation, I just wanted to leave you with this famous Ted saying, which feels appropriate for today: 'Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.'"

To that end, Gould and Voltaggio underlined the value of the company's Demo Direct tool that allows marketers to secure schedules across content offerings via "one plan, one invoice, one CPM."

Meanwhile, the co-presidents noted that Warner Bros. Discovery is joining an initiative led by data and identity platform OpenAP. Standardized conversion API will enable advertisers to connect outcomes info to their own first-party data for video campaigns through a standardized conversion via data from other programmers. The group includes NBCUniversal Media LLC, Fox Corp., Paramount, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., A+E and The E.W. Scripps Co.

Warner Bros. Discovery at the upfront also unveiled a new measurement dashboard, whose aim is to speed up reporting so buyers can optimize campaigns while they're still in flight, rather than analyzing them after the fact. Built through direct integrations with leading measurement and attribution partners, Always-On Measurement & Attribution Dashboard provides a continuous data loop between exposure and outcomes, relative to campaign performance across linear, streaming and digital.

The dashboard aims to align against various business outcomes — including brand lift, site engagement and sales conversions — by helping brands optimize campaigns while they are still in-flight.

Additionally, the company highlighted enhanced formats, including the expansion of Moments, its contextual message offering, beyond HBO Max to discovery+, CNN and all Warner Bros. Discovery streams. The technology, powered by Kerv Group Ltd., provides brands with opportunities to deliver their message to viewers following key moments in the shows.

Shoppable Pause Ads not only let viewers halt the content to explore the messaging but gives them unlimited time to engage. Thereby, users can discover, act or purchase, before returning to the content.

Warner Bros. Discovery's Dynamic Creative melds commercials to what audiences are watching. Custom headlines and visuals shift the message dynamically, with a brand's message adapting to what's happening on screen. Headlines and visuals are tailored to the scene right before the break, informed by Warner Bros. Discovery's proprietary contextual metadata.

On the content side, Warner Bros. Discovery said it will premiere over 3,000 hours of fresh fare across 225 new and returning series.

From the HBO camp, Noah Wiley told media buyers that production on the third season of the Emmy-winning emergency room drama, "The Pitt," will begin this summer, with the show returning to air in January. Morgan Spector, whose George Russell character survived an assassination threat in the third campaign, talked up the upcoming fourth season of "The Gilded Age."