NEW YORK—In what could be its last upfront as a separate company, Warner Bros. Discovery’s annual upfront presentation to showcase an expanding portfolio of advanced advertising capabilities and several new ad tech innovations, including shoppable pause ads, scene-level moments that allow advertisers to contextually targeting individual scenes in WBD’s premium programming and new AI tools for dynamic creative and agentic experiences.
It also unveiled a new “Always-On Measurement & Attribution Dashboard,” and “Unbreakable,” a cross-platform, solution that connects brands with audiences through participatory experiences on linear, digital and social platforms.
Company executives said that these enhancements and the company's expanding embrace of AI technology, are designed to deliver audiences a more relevant and engaging experience, while empowering brands to better connect with viewers through the iconic shows and films they enjoy across the WBD ecosystem.
“Our premium programming commands attention, and its cultural relevance is what further elevates us across the industry,” said Bobby Voltaggio, president U.S. Ad Sales, Platform Monetization, Warner Bros. Discovery. “By pairing our world-class content with these dynamic tools, we’re unlocking new and effective ways for brands to maximize their value and spend across WBD’s portfolio, all while enriching the viewing experiences for our audiences.”
The company described those new capabilities as follows:
- Scene-Level Moments. Scene-level Moments delivers unmatched precision in the market, contextually targeting individual scenes in WBD’s premium programming. This technology, powered by KERV.ai, matches brands to the right opportunity allowing viewers to discover greater product relevance during every moment of every show. In addition to HBO Max, Scene-Level Moments will be expanding to discovery+ and across the full WBD Stream footprint.
- Shoppable Pause Ads. This brand-new format is viewer-controlled, with unlimited time to engage. Every pause becomes a moment of relevance based on what's on screen, creating an opportunity to purchase, discover, or act, all without ever interrupting the viewing experience.
- This format takes standard creative and makes it actionable, opening shoppable advertising to an entirely new universe of brand categories that couldn't take advantage of it before.
- Dynamic Creative — Now Powering Brand Block. Dynamic Creative now powers Brand Block, our proven ad-lite creative. Messages now adapt in real time to what audiences are watching, as custom headlines and visuals shift the message dynamically, curating a brand's message in real time based on what's happening on screen. Headlines and visuals are tailored to the scene right before the break, informed by WBD’s proprietary contextual metadata, ensuring the right message, in the right moment, is delivered every time.
- Agentic Experiences. Brands will soon be able to be directly embedded inside the moment of intent, with AI-powered brand agents responding to what target audiences want to know in real time, and optimized to the outcome a brand wants to achieve, in the context of the content the viewers are already engaged with.
In addition the company launched Always-On Measurement & Attribution Dashboard, which is designed to accelerate the shift from conventional post-campaign reports to real-time insight and business outcomes for in-flight campaigns.
Built through direct integrations with leading measurement and attribution partners, the dashboard provides a continuous data loop between exposure and outcomes that offers:
- On-demand visibility into campaign performance across linear, streaming, and digital
- Direct matching to business outcomes, including brand lift, site engagement, and sales conversions
- Actionable insights and analysis delivered in-flight, enabling optimization while campaigns are still running
“Measurement is no longer a backend, post-campaign reporting exercise,” said David Porter, Head of Advertising Research, Data, and Insights, Warner Bros. Discovery. “With the Always-On Measurement & Attribution Dashboard, clients will better understand performance while the campaign is still running, combining the speed they expect with the independently verified outcomes they trust. That’s a powerful shift from reporting on performance to actively shaping and maximizing it.”
Another major ad Tech announcement was the launch of “Unbreakable,” a suite of new cross-platform ad solutions from Warner Bros. Discovery Advertising designed to connect brands with audiences through seamless, participatory experiences.
This fan-first approach is designed to move easily between linear television, digital environments, and social platforms, ensuring that brand experiences remain consistent and impactful regardless of where fans engage.
From real-time polling during live events, to fan-driven debates on social and on-air integrations that spotlight audiences, WBD executives said that “Unbreakable” turns single moments into immersive, ownable experiences that drive both engagement and cultural relevance.
“At Warner Bros. Discovery, fans are at the center of everything we do,” said Ed Romaine, GSVP, Head of Revenue Marketing, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Unbreakable is built to meet audiences in the moments that matter most to them—whether that’s watching live, reacting in real time on social, or continuing the conversation across platforms. For brands, it creates a powerful new way to be part of those moments in an authentic, scalable way.”
While sports programming will serve as the initial launchpad, “Unbreakable” is designed to be applied across WBD’s entire portfolio. It can incorporate real-time audience sentiment during town halls and debates in news, influence outcomes through live polling and bracket-style competitions in lifestyle programs, and power creator-led activations and fan participation in entertainment.
More information is available here.
