The 2025 NewFronts schedule has now been released.
This year’s IAB NewFronts takes place from May 5th to May 8th in New York. The four-day event will offer a first look at what digital media companies and tech platforms are planning for the coming year from new shows, streaming strategies, and ways to connect with audiences through video.
While this year’s lineup is similar to last year’s with major tech players like Google and TikTok returning, there are some new additions like LinkedIn.
However, while LinkedIn plans to participate, Roku has decided not to return to the NewFronts this year. As stated by IAB, Roku prefers hosting more personalized and small-scale presentations rather than taking part in a big industry-wide gathering.
Besides opting out of the NewFronts, Roku has decided against hosting its own upfront this year. Instead, they plan to organize a worldwide event on April 23rd.
The NewFronts will begin with Google’s presentation on May 5th.
The main stage at IAB will highlight groundbreaking content, technologies, and solutions. Furthermore, IAB will present insights from their yearly IAB Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report, featuring comprehensive data for all of 2024 along with projections for 2025.
David Cohen, the CEO of IAB, stated that the 2025 IAB NewFronts event will offer participants insight into the future direction of the video industry, with the presentations serving both as reflections of upcoming trends and as influential forces shaping those developments.
For quite some time now, we've noticed a shift in how videos are consumed," Cohen explained to Massima. "It was once about having linear content alongside digital options. Today, it's more about integrating digital into traditional linear formats. Digital has become central to what both the market and viewers want, and this trend has evolved significantly over recent years.
Cohen mentioned that one significant change he has observed is the altered function of content creators within the video industry.
We're fortunate to have presenters such as TikTok, Snap, and YouTube joining us for NewFronts week," Cohen stated. "These platforms are truly reshaping the industry. It’s creators who are transforming the realm of video content and entertainment information.
Additionally, there is a session dedicated to the importance of reliable and trusted journalism titled "Spotlight on: News @ NewFronts," which includes executives from Yahoo, NBCUniversal, The Guardian, and The Washington Post.
It's extremely crucial that our sector backs the journalism industry and credible news organizations," Cohen stated. "We're taking this step once more because we believe it's a critical objective for us to achieve—particularly within the present fluctuating landscape where sustaining news operations both domestically and globally has become increasingly challenging.
Cohen stated that this year’s NewFronts and TV upfront season reflects a blend of energy across the sector, marketplace, and global landscape—be it economic, political, or geopolitical dynamics.
When unexpected disruptions occur within the economic framework, certain entities emerge as victors while others falter," Cohen stated. "We aim to convey to the marketplace that significant transformations have taken place recently across various sectors such as artificial intelligence, technological advancements, data utilization, or shifts in privacy policies.