On March 12, 2020, we made the decision to cancel our traditional live upfront presentation, usually a dazzling in-person event for advertisers with talent, executives, and sales in attendance.

But what normally would be a crushing blow to our business became a creative spark embracing change to become something groundbreaking.

We wanted to reflect the increasingly direct-to-consumer nature of media and “bring more people in.” If we aren’t tied to tradition, why limit our upfront to advertisers? If everyone is looking for fun escape, why not make it real entertainment? Something people can watch, enjoy, and talk about for weeks to come – but accomplishes everything a formal upfront would.

Tina Fey and 30 Rock, certified entertainment icons, were a natural tonal fit for such a crazy idea. If we’re selling a television company during a special, then let’s use the same (fictionalized) company that everyone loves to do it.

From the ashes of a canceled upfront, sales had to find a new way to get their message to advertisers. We thought “if there was no rulebook, what would we do?”

An easy but groundbreaking answer: why not put it on TV? Advertisers and viewers alike would preview our upcoming content, if we just offered the right draw.

Brainstorming led to a eureka moment of contacting the team from 30 Rock. It was a beloved hit, it was a show about producing shows that was so meta that adding the element of ACTUALLY selling to advertisers might just intrigue the creators.

Tina Fey and her team agreed, and got to work: a story ABOUT pitching to advertisers that also managed to pitch to viewers, while giving updates on all our favorite characters in a brilliant narrative true to the show’s legacy.

Strategically, we approached the special with the following in mind:

1) The show is both deeply beloved and closely associated with NBCUniversal. A special to bring it back in a time of stress would be welcomed. At the same time, we can accomplish and even build on our goals in reaching out to advertisers.

2) The show is so self-referential that it can speak directly to advertisers and media buyers without alienating viewers.

3) Given the show’s history with cameos and guest stars, it can organically feature diverse celebrity appearances and the programming of NBC while staying true to itself.

4) The main focus should be breaking down barriers between programming content and commercial content – with an emphasis on keeping engagement high during commercial time.

Implementation: The special was shot in multiple locations, from NY to LA and beyond. Some talent self-shot their segments, and others enlisted help from family members. It was a completely unique filming experience, where director and actors were never in the same room - directing and performing instead via virtual “video villages” and Zooms.

Timeline: In early 2020 we were preparing for a normal live upfront event. On March 12th, the upfront was cancelled due to the pandemic; the idea of the special came a day later, as a way of having a safe and unique event. It premiered on May 16th, 2020.

Placement: Premiered May 16 on NBC Primetime; aired May 17 on six of our cable channels and digital streaming service Peacock

Scale: A TV-quality broadcast special across the networks of NBCU, featuring over 25 of the world’s best-known talent

Across both nights, 30 Rock reached 6M viewers on linear, driven primarily by NBC & USA

30 Rock generated 112M minutes viewed across platforms, with over half of consumption coming from cable re-airs and digital viewing

With 23K+ social interactions, 30 Rock generated social buzz across both nights – with 15% of Tweets referencing Peacock

30 Rock drove Memorability and Intent to View for NBCU programs with promos in the special, with up to +16% lifts vs norms

Looking at the broader impact, the special was truly one-of-its-kind, and really opened eyes and doors about what media could achieve in times of necessity. Outlets correctly noted the episode was "a commercial for NBCUniversal," but succeeded as an episode in its own right. Never before has content been pitched to advertisers and consumers in this way WHILE delivering a brand new story for a beloved series and its characters.