TV companies flaunt ad tech and AI to persuade advertisers to spend

Television ‘upfront’ advertiser presentations this week in New York City were hardly about TV at all.

The annual week-long affair where media executives have traditionally pre-sold TV advertising featured many familiar trappings: pop stars Alicia Keys and Billie Eilish dazzled packed auditoriums with live performances; celebrities Kevin Hart, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds hawked their latest projects, and Super Bowl star Tom Brady joined other pro athletes on stage.

But it was ad tech and artificial intelligence that was getting all the attention.

Warner Bros Discovery talked up shoppable ads on its Max streaming service.