NEW YORK — NBCUniversal (NBCU) on Monday embraced its identity as a traditional media company during its annual upfront presentation, setting the tone for a week of media upfronts in which traditional media is trying to attract brands with a combination of digital evolution and legacy as competition for advertising budgets in the coming months heats up. At the same time, the company highlighted artificial intelligence and measurement solutions to show how it is integrating digital evolution into the enduring influence of traditional media.

NBCU's pitch to advertisers, held at Radio City Music Hall, featured musical performances, numerous celebrity appearances, late-night talk show-style humor, and jokes aimed at Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising and partnerships.

"Some may think the label 'traditional media' carries a negative connotation, but for us, as we celebrate our company's 100th anniversary, our legacy is precisely our strongest competitive advantage because it is built on evolution, innovation, and a constant focus on consumer behavior," Marshall said in his opening remarks. This followed a pre-recorded video showing the executive adding an NBC tattoo to a stunt double covered in brand logos.

In addition to showcasing a lineup that includes Telemundo World Cup matches and hit Bravo reality shows, NBCU announced it would expand its Sunday night sports strategy from football to basketball and baseball. Continuing the tradition of recent celebrations for the 50th season of "Saturday Night Live," NBC plans to air a 100th anniversary special on December 10, featuring music, comedy, and surprise cast reunions.

"NBC is doing something no other network has ever done, even bolder than any housewife on 'The Real Housewives': we're throwing ourselves a big birthday party so we can sell ads during it," Tina Fey joked at the event.

Beyond the usual highlights and content previews, NBCU again used its upfront presentation to showcase its recent legacy as a media company that leverages data and technology to help advertisers buy, optimize, and measure campaigns across its linear and streaming portfolio spanning entertainment, sports, and news.

At the start of the presentation, Marshall detailed how new tools, first introduced last December, are being used by advertisers to maximize their ad spend on NBCU. Live Total Impact leverages the first exposure of an ad during live events and retargets those viewers across the entire media mix; since its launch earlier this year, the tool has shown results.

State Farm saw a 90% incremental lift in insurance quote initiations, a telecom operator saw a 40% increase in website visits, and search engagement in food delivery, quick-service restaurants, retail, and travel all grew through the use of Live Total Impact. NBCU will also expand contextual targeting, previously available only for video-on-demand and library content, to live environments in the fourth quarter. The solution uses AI to align creative with content; a sample shown in the presentation automatically inserted a Bounty brand ad after a fumble during an NFL game.

Measurement ecosystem and agentic AI

NBCU will also fully roll out its Performance Insights Hub in the fourth quarter, continuing its long-term effort to provide advertisers with a unified view of ad delivery, insights, and performance. The hub integrates measurement partners including Dynata, EDO, InMarket, IQVIA, iSpot, Kantar Affinity Solutions, Kochava, LiveRamp, and VideoAmp.

"When you look at the premium video market, more than 70% of impressions still occur on linear television," Marshall said. "If your current dashboard only measures streaming, you're missing nearly three-quarters of ad impressions."

In addition to the aforementioned partners, NBCU added Instacart as the hub's exclusive outcomes partner in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector. The combination of the delivery platform's first-party data with NBCU content delivered an average 5.5x return on ad spend, with 51% new brand users and 43% of new brand sales coming from grocery, beverage, and alcohol categories.

Beyond the live presentation, NBCU on Monday also unveiled its agentic AI strategy (details of which were shared with Marketing Dive). A new suite of always-on, interoperable AI agents will go live at the start of the broadcast year, focused on TV ad buying, automating the transaction process and presenting intelligent insights. These tools represent the next frontier of the AI revolution, showcasing the company's embrace of technology.

"When we talk about the next phase of NBCUniversal's evolution, 'legacy' is not a word we shy away from," Marshall said in his remarks. "It's our superpower."

This blend of legacy and evolution is especially evident in its flagship late-night show, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" — the latest version of a program that has aired since 1954. In 2025, the show garnered 16 billion views on social media; so far in 2026, it has accumulated 10 billion views — ranking fourth, behind "SportsCenter," "Stranger Things," and "WWE Raw."

"We haven't just survived the digital transition," Fallon said at the event. "Our show has become one of the best examples of how traditional TV can adapt to it."