At TV upfronts, AI is in and corporate shuffles are reshaping the line-up

Samuel Boivin | Nurphoto | For most media companies, recent upfront presentations — the annual slate of content pitches to advertisers — have been shaped by uncertainty , whether it be macroeconomic or geopolitical . This year, the shifts are coming largely from within. Media executives told CNBC that while they have been cognizant of global economic issues, like the Middle East conflict and rising cost of fuel, as well as the ongoing shakeup and consolidation in the industry, such topics aren't playing a big part in this year's discussions with advertisers. This week, Comcast's NBCUniversal, Fox Corp ., Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, as well as Amazon's Prime Video and Google's YouTube will put on shows in New York City in an effort to sell advertisers on their programming for the year ahead. Paramount Skydance wrapped up its series of intimate presentations with agencies and marketers in recent weeks. Executives said the focus this year has been on grabbing the biggest audiences and on how artificial intelligence is improving data and outcomes. That's all while the industry continues to navigate large-scale changes among the biggest players — with Paramount and WBD set to merge and NBCUniversal having split off its portfolio of cable networks into the newly formed Versant . "Overall, advertiser sentiment has remained very positive. …