Last week, senior leaders and talent from across NBCUniversal participated at the annual Cannes Lions International Festival for Creativity. Cannes Lions 2023 served as a hub for leaders across global advertising and creative communications to speak to different trends and challenges across the field. NBCUniversal’s unwavering commitment to push boundaries, foster innovation and shape culture through groundbreaking content and technology was evident throughout the week.
With more than 60 speaking engagements throughout Cannes Lions, NBCUniversal brought together executives and talent both on and off the screen. From a strategic One Platform global expansion announcement to celebrating the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris to paying homage to 50 iconic years of Saturday Night Live, NBCU spotlighted culture-shaping sessions that will continue in the years to come.
Read on below to learn more about how NBCU showed up at Cannes Lions 2023:
NBCU Announces Expanded Global Partnership with Freewheel
In partnership with Comcast’s advertising management solution Freewheel, NBCUniversal announced an extension of One Platform’s capabilities to over 190 countries across Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
NBCU Announces Content Partnership with Group Black
NBCUniversal announced an exclusive partnership with Group Black, a modern media company with the largest collective of Black-owned media, aimed at amplifying Black-led content today and beyond. Read more about the specifics of the announcement in The Wall Street Journal HERE.
Brands Going for Gold in Paris 2024 and Beyond
As NBCUniversal gears up to host the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games across its platforms, Jenny Storms, NBCUniversal’s Chief Marketing Officer of Entertainment and Sports, discussed different ways to engage Generation-Z audiences around the games. The panel shed light on opportunities for brands seeking to connect with the next generation of viewers during the Olympics.
In addition, NBCUniversal, FreeWheel, and Comcast Advertising brought together key clients, brand leaders, broadcasters, and Team USA Olympic and Paralympic atheletes and hopefuls to discuss the Games and beyond at the Olympic & Paralympic Takeover at FreeWheel Beach. During the event, NBC Sports host Maria Taylor moderated a Paris 2024 Preview Panel with Gary Zenkel, NBCUniversal’s President of Olympics and Business, and Molly Solomon, Executive Producer & President of NBC Olympic Production, while Dan Lovinger, President of Olympic & Paralympic Partnerships, moderated a panel with confirmed Los Angeles 2028 marketing partners.
The event concluded with a Power of Olympics and Paralympics panel moderated by NBC News host Willie Geist with past and hopeful Team USA Olympians and Paralympians, followed by a special happy hour and an on-stage performance by Sunny Choi, a Paris 2024 hopeful in the debut of the Olympic sport of breaking.
Lorne Michaels and Cast Share How Saturday Night Live Has Shaped Culture for 50 Years and Announce a 50th Anniversary Special
Lorne Michaels, creator and executive producer of Saturday Night Live (SNL), was joined by several current cast members including Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, Ego Nwodim and Mikey Day to reflect on the creative legacy of the show as it approaches 50 years on the air during a special Cannes mainstage conversation moderated by NBC News host Willie Geist.
To honor and celebrate 50 years of the iconic sketch comedy show, Michaels announced a 50th anniversary special that will take place in 2024 at Radio City Music Hall. Michaels also gave a hint as to what viewers can expect to see: “You’ll see bands that have left a mark on the show, and stand-ups that were part of it from the beginning or relatively recent,” he added. “There are some documentaries being made. We’re going to be part of the French Olympics, so that will be the official start of our celebration.”
Later that evening, NBCUniversal celebrated the SNL mainstage with an exclusive dinner and afterparty featuring special guest DJ Paris Hilton.