Carroll’s Column: The Annual Upfronts in NYC

Image Credit: Disney

NEW YORK, NY — Autumn will be here before you know it with television networks prepared to make their mark across the entertainment industry.

Various television networks and streaming services held their presentations of upcoming programming for advertisers and the press last week, better known in the industry as the Upfronts. Even as recently as a decade ago, sports were an afterthought as scripted entertainment shows garnered the lion’s share of the attention. Nowadays, sports are the leading driver as everyone wants to watch it live and that commands premium ad dollars.

Disney, which owns ESPN, touted the fact the Worldwide Leader in Sports has broadcast rights to the four major sports. You must give new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro credit for not trying to patronize an audience of New York-based ad buyers. D’Amaro, who grew up near Boston, declared his fandom for the Boston Celtics. To win back the goodwill of his audience, he quickly brought Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson to the Javits Center stage.

Baseball’s answer to the Harlem Globetrotters, the Savannah Bananas, have TV deals with TBS, Roku, YouTube, and now they are expanding their relationship with Disney. ESPN Unlimited and Disney Plus streamers will be televising the “Banana Ball’ Playoffs this fall, according to Savannah Bananas founder Jessie Cole.

In addition, Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson will be participating in ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” this fall.

ESPN will also show a documentary on the life of Billie Jean King titled “Give Me the Ball.” It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival this past January.

Expect it to air before the start of the US Open in Flushing Meadows since ESPN is the television rightsholder.

ABC and ESPN will be televising the 2027 Super Bowl. Expect Peyton and Eli Manning to do a Manningcast on ESPN2 on February 14.

More from 2026 Upfronts Week
NBC, which is marking its centennial, was the #1 broadcast network this past year, primarily because it had the rights to both this year’s Olympics and Winter Olympics.
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The big NBC Sports news from Radio City Music Hall was the welcoming of former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to the “Sunday Night Football” studio team by Mike Tirico, and Commack High School alum, Bob Costas. Tomlin replaces the dull Tony Dungy who refused to say whether he voted for Bill Belichick for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame when asked by fellow “SNF” pundit Rodney Harrison.

NBC Sports executives figured that if he could not give them a scoop, then why keep him?

FOX Sports has the English language broadcast rights to the FIFA World Cup, so it was the main topic of conversation at the FOX Upfront. The only problem was Michael Strahan and Rob Gronkowski seemed far more comfortable discussing football rather than futbol.

Funniest moment of 2026 Upfronts Week
The funniest moment of Upfront Week was when the announcer introduced Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and David Ortiz.

“Here are three guys who think the Met Gala is a doubleheader at Citi Field!” he said.

Shaq makes an appearance at 2026 Upfronts Week
At the Warner Brothers Discovery Upfront, Shaquille O’Neal hit the stage to promote his “Dumkman” competition reality series, and he touted TNT’s slate of college hoops.

Shaq was also at the Disney Upfront since he is part of their “Inside the NBA” studio team.

2026 Plans for Telemundo and Universo
Telemundo will have the Spanish language broadcasting rights in the USA for old school linear television. Its sister network, Universo, will have them on cable, while streamer Peacock should have them all in Spanish.

Telemundo will also be broadcasting NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball package in Spanish. If Spanish is your second language, this is a terrific way to enhance your bilingual skills.

Televisa Univision sports executives touted the fact that their network shows more hours of soccer around the world than any other broadcast network. They handled the World Cup elephant in the room by saying they don’t just show up every four years for the sport.

While they do not have the World Cup, Univision executives made the surprising announcement that it had reached a deal with ESPN to televise Super Bowl LXI. To celebrate, Univision brought new Giants head coach John Harbaugh to the Terminal 5 stage.

Whereas most sports figures stiffly read off a Teleprompter, Harbaugh spoke extemporaneously about the 2013 Super Bowl where he and his Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers who were coached by his brother, Jim.

He admitted he had avoided talking about that game for years with Jim because he did not want to make him feel bad. The ice was finally broken last year when Jim said that it was a great day for the Harbaugh family.

Prime Video’s first 2026 Thursday Night Football Game: Lions-Bills
Prime Video, a division of Amazon, touted the success of its “Thursday Night Football” package, and announced its first game would put the Detroit Lions against the Buffalo Bills who will be opening their new stadium that day. Prime Video will also be showing Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball games this fall.

On the entertainment side, Prime Video is teaming up with Michael B. Jordan’s production company for a series about Muhammad Ali. Actor Jaalen Best will portray Ali in the show, which naturally be called, “The Greatest.”

Netflix: The home for NFL’s Christmas Day’s games once again
Netflix will once again be the home for NFL Christmas Day games. Forest Hills High School alum Ian Eagle will do the play-by-play duties for one of the three games—Packers vs. Bears, Bills-Broncos and Rams-Seahawks.

Netflix is also bringing back its “Quarterback” series for a third season. Baker Mayfield, Joe Flacco, Jayden Daniels, and Cam Ward are willing to have their lives on and off the field analyzed in this go-round.

Lineup announced for FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show
Madonna, Shakira, and the South Korean boy band BTS will provide the entertainment at MetLife Stadium on July 19 as the halftime entertainment for the World Cup Final Halftime Show.

Devastating blow for Mets as NY loses Clay Holmes to fractured fibula
Clay Holmes’ suffered a fractured fibula Friday night on a low line drive off the bat of Yankees rookie Spencer Jones. In a season full of injuries to key players, the injury to Holmes, which likely ended his season, is the most devastating.

Holmes had been one of the few free agent acquisitions by Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns which has worked out well. Holmes has proven to be the Mets’ most reliable starter over the last two years, as he has given the Mets both quality innings and wins.

The Mets could weather the loss of Holmes if they were getting production from fellow starters David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga, but that has not been the case.

The best minor league option for the Mets is 24-year-old prospect Jack Wenninger who is pitching well for the Syracuse Mets. Jonah Tong, who received a lot of buzz when he was called up to the Mets late last summer, was shaky then, and he still is not ready for prime time based on his season so far in Syracuse.

Jets fans deemed best-rested pro football fans in America
The New York Jets have not made the NFL playoffs since 2010. The odds are the futility streak will continue for the upcoming season. The bright side for Jets fans is they will be the best-rested pro football fans in America. Every home game has a 1PM start.

In addition, the Jets are not scheduled to have any primetime games on the road.

Remembering and paying tribute to Jason Collins
I was saddened to learn of the passing of former Nets center Jason Collins from brain cancer at the all-too-young age of 47. He will best be known for being the first openly gay NBA player, but I will remember him for always giving thoughtful answers to reporters, and always being approachable, which trust me, is the exception to the rule in an NBA locker room.

These days, NBA players only go to college to work on their hoops skills to get drafted in the first round. Collins was a Stanford University alumnus who enjoyed going to class.

A Shift in the Spa Industry
Organic Spa Magazine held a conference last Friday at midtown’s New York Lotte Palace Hotel which emphasized how the industry is shifting its focus to health improvement from pampering for the sake of vanity.

Facials are still a staple at every spa, but the industry realizes consumers are interested in more tangible benefits. Vendors were promoting hydrogen-infused water which purports to reduce muscular lactic acid which causes tiredness after workouts, as well as a portable salt therapy device which claims to improve breathing and reduce congestion for those suffering from colds or allergies.

High-tech electronic massage tables are being used to provide relief and improvement for those suffering from insomnia, inflammation, and arthritis. They have come a long way from those fondly remembered Sharper Image massage devices.

I am not sure if this is good news for humanity, but the Ila Only Spa at the New York Lotte Palace has robot masseuses. But, yes, they do have human massage therapists.

The Lodge at Woodloch in the Poconos for the Win
Resorts are painfully aware of how high gas prices could impact their peak summer season business. The Lodge at Woodloch, located in the Poconos, is offering complimentary shuttle bus service who take the Coach USA bus to Hawley, PA from Port Authority. They will do the same for those who take New Jersey Transit trains to Port Jervis, New York.

More from 2026 NYC Experience Wellness & Travel Media Event
The Kohler Resort & Spa, located an hour north of Milwaukee, also exhibited at the Organic Spa event. Kohler also has a championship golf course which has been used for PGA tournaments. And yes, it is the same company which makes toilets.

The most exotic exhibitor was Panama’s La Compania, which has two resorts in the country. One is in the mountains, while the other is in Panama City. Its inland resort is popular with hikers.

It is affiliated with Hyatt Hotels’ Unbound Collection brand.

Popular soul singer Clarence Carter passes away at the age of 90
Clarence Carter, whose rich baritone voice, and rich delivery made him a popular soul singer in the late 1960s and early 1970s passed away at the age of 90 last week. His biggest hit was 1970’s tale of family hardship, “Patches,” but my favorite tune of his was “Slip Away.” That tune ranks just behind Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs. Jones” as the catchiest cheating song of all-time.

Rest In Peace Rex Reed
We lost arguably the best film critic of all-time, Rex Reed, at the age of 87 last week as well. Reed was known for his acerbic wit, and for his appearances as a judge on the campy talent TV classic, “The Gong Show.” I will remember Rex Reed for always being welcoming and providing great insight into the film industry when I was reviewing films many years ago.

FOX and Warner Bros hold screening in NYC of season finale for “Memory of a Killer”
FOX Television and Warner Bros Studios held a screening of the season finale of “Memory of a Killer,” starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli, in midtown last week in the hopes of generating buzz for Emmy nominations.

In the episode, Michael Imperioli’s character takes part in a “Pulp Fiction” inspired, over-the-top fight scene, as the Ramones’ cover of the 1962 Chris Montez hit, “Let’s Dance,” plays over it.

I asked one of the executives behind “Memory of a Killer,” Aaron Zelman, about how that recording was chosen. “My father went to Forest Hills High School as did the Ramones. That may have subliminally played a part!” he said with a smile.

You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.