Discovery Global, the planned stand-alone home for Warner Bros. Discovery‘s linear TV networks, has announced May 13, 2026, as the date of its first upfront presentation to advertisers.

The new entity will include Warner Bros. and HBO Max titles in its presentation, as WBD has in recent years, under a deal for Discovery Global to rep the studios and streaming arm of the company.

The planned split, of course, is now under question given Paramount Skydance’s ardent pursuit of an acquisition of WBD, which could make the split plan obsolete. Last week, WBD said it was embarking on a process of evaluating its strategic options after fielding interest from multiple parties in bidding on part or all of the company. Meantime, the split, announced earlier this year, is proceeding.

While the corporate backdrop is ever-evolving, the mid-May timing for the presentation as well as the venue, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, are both familiar. WBD has hosted its annual upfront there in that same timeframe since the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery in 2022, inheriting the setup from WarnerMedia and Time Warner in prior eras. The upfronts are less of a fixed part of the media industry map than they once were, but they are shot through with tradition in terms of dates and venues. NBCUniversal has claimed Radio City Music Hall for its traditional Monday kickoff to upfronts, this year on May 11.

Under the advertising arrangement, which is similar to NBCU’s deal to rep its soon-to-spin-off corporate sibling Versant, Discovery Global will rep Warner Bros. and HBO properties in upcoming upfront cycles.

The presentation will feature brands from the Discovery Global and Warner Bros. stables, among them Adult Swim, Bleacher Report, CNN, Discovery, Food Network, HBO, HGTV, Investigation Discovery (ID), Magnolia, OWN, TBS, TLC, and TNT Sports. The pitch will also highlight HBO Max and Discovery+. Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group and DC Studios.

“At Discovery Global, we will seek to inspire and empower audiences through bold storytelling and engaging stories,” said Gunnar Wiedenfels, WBD’s CFO and designated CEO of Discovery Global. “We are committed to deepening connections between people and the world around them – while delivering innovative, data-driven solutions that help brands engage meaningfully with our passionate global audience. By uniting creativity with intelligence, we aim to build lasting partnerships and deliver measurable results.”

Despite the reconfiguration of WBD, which is slated to close in mid-2026, “our shared commitment to creating meaningful connections between audiences and brands remains stronger than ever,” said Ryan Gould, WBD’s President of U.S. Ad Sales, Go to Market.

Bobby Voltaggio, President of U.S. Ad Sales, Platform Monetization, WBD, added, “The 2026 Upfront will mark a bold new chapter for Discovery Global and Warner Bros. – where strategic vision meets brand leadership across sports, news, entertainment, and streaming.”