Once upon a time linear and digital media lived in separate kingdoms, vying for separate opportunities and budgets. But during this year’s upfronts—which featured both Amazon and Netflix making their first in-person upfront presentations—the gates were thrown wide open to bidders across platforms.

Whether we’re in an era of never-ending fragmentation or on the verge of a golden age of convergence, this year’s upfront presentations ignored the still foggy measurement picture and instead focused on star power and fan-favorite content—a stark contrast to last year’s events amid the writers strike.

Here are the top upfront 2024 takeaways from Amp community leaders.

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Dave Weiss, senior VP of integrated investment at UM Worldwide, had a similar takeaway.

“Discussions at the 2024 upfront centered on media partners’ ability to achieve optimization, particularly through ad innovation surrounding relevant content and leveraging first-party data for deeper consumer insights,” he said. He added that media partners encouraged brands to look beyond traditional advertising and forge partnerships with marquee tentpoles and streaming originals that reach consumers across multiple touchpoints.

“One trend was clear: Live sports and sports-themed original content continue to fuel steady viewership across the board,” he said. “Brands navigating budget constraints will have some tough decisions to make, given the abundance of choices in this space, to deliver maximum scale to those sports eyeballs across all platforms.”

Read more in Ad Age.