The TV upfronts have a long and colorful history, rooted in grainy images of network executives strategically moving shows around an oversized scheduling board, trying to parry moves by other programmers in the equivalent of a high-stakes chess match.
Today, the strategy is less a cerebral cat-and-mouse game of positioning those pieces than a WWE-style free for all, where programmers try to assemble cohesive lineups but can’t begin to plan how to counter competition that’s coming at them on a multitude of fronts.
Billions of dollars in advance commitments still hang in the balance, with networks and now streaming services seeking to impress media buyers and garner their share of the advertising pie.