Disney's 2023 Upfront Appeal: Our Unrivaled, Diverse Connections Matter

The Big Message In so many ways and through several TV platforms linear broadcast network linear cable channels megacontent services and smart TV productcirculated services Disney has the innovative unrivaled programming and technology to connect brands with the best audiences Those connections increasingly are welcomed by communities of color and other underrepresented people who deserve greater advertiser investment quotMulticultural is mainstreamquot said Disney Advertising Sales President Rita Ferro pictured below quotIt39s time to lean into all dimensions of diversityquotHosts Ferro opened and closed the proceedings turning the time inbetween over to a mix of ABC and ESPN anchorpeople and personalities including SportsCenter39s Hannah Storm and Elle Duncan lead World News Tonight anchorperson David Muir Good Morning America cohost Michael Strahan and American Idol host Ryan SeacrestWhat Worked Offering a miniparade of sports notables in the opening segment about ESPN kicking off with tennis champion Serena Williams and ending with Damar Hamlin pictured at top center the Buffalo Bills defensive player who captured the nation39s attention when he collapsed on the field during a Monday Night Football game this past January Hamlin39s standing ovation from the audience and his thoughts about returning to football and living to impact others for the better was a top UpfrontsNewFronts moment of 2023What Also Worked An extremely rare segment during any Upfront on the values of local TV station journalism and community outreach welldelivered by Sade Baderinwa and Bill Ritter Eyewitness News coanchorpeople at WABCTV New York Efforts by other ABCowned stations were also highlightedWhat Didn39t Work A few things during this twohour affair Ferro declined to spell out how advertisers can utilize Disney39s limited ad format in unique ways such as interactive and shoppablecommerce messages The ESPN portion taking up most of the first hour didn39t spend much time on ESPN which marked its fifth anniversary last month or ESPN Deportes Developments at Freeform and Onyx Collection were absent from the scripted content segment near the end And finally the decision to highlight FX on Hulu39s muchanticipated take on the classic NBC miniseries Shogun by having 100 samuraidressed people march down the aisles swinging swords and doing battle on the stage When you have a great highly atmospheric Shogun sizzle reel on hand was all that admittedly wellstaged spectacle necessaryData Points Onethird of all Disney TV buys are now programmatic with Ferro declaring that this technique will be a core component of every Upfront transaction for the 202324 season Through ESPN ABC ESPN39s family of cable channels and ESPN Disney now offers more than 94000 hours of live sports a year During the last 12 months Good Morning America has reported from all 50 states and across the globeNews Due to the writers39 strike ABC will have a fall 2023 primetime lineup dominated by a mix of unscripted sports and game show series plus Sunday night movies under classic The Wonderful World of Disney banner The only scripted entry a Wednesday night hour of Abbott Elementary reruns One fall unscripted newcomer is The Golden Bachelor an offshoot of The Bachelor franchise featuring seniors For the first time Judge Steve Harvey Press Your Luck and The 100000 Pyramid will be on ABC39s fall schedule At Disney Marvel Productions39 Echo and the second season of Loki will launch November 29 and October 6 respectively while new Star Wars series The Acolyte is set to premiere next year Hulu39s slate of new 202324 series incudes Black Cake a combo familymurder mystery saga from Oprah Winfrey39s Harpo Films Upcoming ESPN attractions this fall include the arrival of uberpopular podcast The Pat McAfee Show getting a weekday afternoon simulcast on ESPN and McAfee39s dedicated YouTube channelParting WordsquotWe are redefining what performance and success looks like for your clients We deliver in scale and performancequot Rita Ferro Disney Advertising Sales PresidentquotI can39t wait to share Disney with the new member of my family Wanted to break the news here but the Met Gala beat me to itquot Tennis superstar Serena Williams whose career will be profiled in the new ESPN docuseries In the Arena Serena WilliamsquotI realize I can just put my mind to anything I wantquot Buffalo Bills defensive player Damar HamlinquotThis is a company committed to journalism beyond the headlinesquot World News Tonight anchorperson David MuirquotWe couldn39t be happier with the TV series visions and opportunities afforded usquot Kathleen Kennedy Lucasfilm PresidentquotEvery FX series keeps setting a new barquot Ryan Seacrest host of American IdolClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesiampgtThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Disney's 2023 Upfront Appeal: Our Unrivaled, Diverse Connections Matter

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Simon Applebaum

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Disney's 2023 Upfront Appeal: Our Unrivaled, Diverse Connections Matter

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