Disney Touts Scale, Sports and Storytelling at Upfront

In its star-studded upfront presentation Tuesday evening, Disney executives and talent consistently returned to a key theme: The company’s reach and tech are unlike those of its competitors.

Among the highlights, Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, said that one in two people worldwide now connect with a Disney property every day. Ferro also shared new Nielsen findings released earlier that day, which stated that Disney had the highest share of total TV usage of any media company in April.

“What I’ve learned from being at this company for 27 years is that Disney is unlike any other media company because ofThe emphasis on the scale of the Disney portfolio comes as the streaming ecosystem continues to build out its advertising audience. Similarly, the growing emphasis on profitability across the streaming sector has also pushed publishers to introduce bundled offerings. The combined effect has been a newfound emphasis on collaboration.

In February, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox announced their forthcoming streaming sports offering, and last week, Disney also teamed with WBD for a bundle offering with Max, Disney+ and Hulu. Earlier on Tuesday, Netflix announced the introduction of its own bundle, in tandem with Apple TV and Peacock, called StreamSaver.

While Disney would spend the majority of its upfront showcasing the breadth of new content—and new talent—coming to its platform soon, the unspoken catalyst behind many of its most important ventures was the newfound need for collaboration amid today’s viewing fragmentation. the emotional connection it has with people,” Ferro said.