Disney introduces AI-driven ad planning and creative tools at CES

Disney is rolling out another round of tech upgrades aimed squarely at advertisers.

At its Tech + Data Showcase during CES, the entertainment giant detailed new investments in agentic AI for media planning, generative AI ad creation, vertical video on Disney+ and expanded measurement tools. Together, the updates are designed to make it easier for advertisers to plan, create, measure and optimize campaigns across Disney’s platforms.

“Advertisers are raising the bar for both accountability and innovation, seeking impactful ways to align with quality storytelling and data-led solutions that drive meaningful business results,” Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, said onstage.

Disney is leaning into agentic AI with the Disney Ads Agent, a chatbot designed to reduce the prep work for media planning, including searching for inventory, identifying audiences and tracking campaign success.

The company is also enabling advertisers to fully create TV ads using generative AI within Disney’s platform. Tony Donohoe, executive vice president of ad platforms, said the goal is to empower companies of any size to access high-quality creative without added friction.

Advertisers will only need a creative brief, brand assets and any product imagery. Disney’s system can then generate multiple ad formats — :15, :30, :60 spots — that can be altered for specific demographics or audiences, such as travel enthusiasts or pet owners.

“The market is moving fast,” Jamie Power, senior vice president of addressable sales, said onstage. “The real unlock isn’t one feature; it’s connecting everything end to end. It is clear we are no longer media planning, we are now experience-level planning.”

Disney’s expansion into AI comes follows its billion-dollar partnership with OpenAI announced last month. Erin Teague, executive vice president of product management, said the partnership with OpenAI is “absolutely crucial” because “AI is an accelerator and amplifier.”

Measurement rules everything

Measurement was a central theme of Disney’s presentation.

The company is expanding its all-in-one measurement platform with the launch of Brand Portal, a new interface that builds on Disney Compass, which debuted last year. The Brand Portal is designed to give advertisers a comprehensive, unified view into measurement and outcomes across all of Disney’s properties. Launch partners include Affinity Solutions, Cint, EDO, Innovid and VideoAmp.

“There is truly a halo effect to all the ways that a brand would advertise with Disney,” Dana McGraw, senior vice president of data and measurement science, told The Current. “Attention matters, and I think we all know it matters, but how do you take that acknowledgment about attention and tie it to outcomes.”

Disney Compass measured more than 100 billion impressions across thousands of campaigns last year, according to the company.

Disney will also roll out a brand impact metric that simplifies measurement, combining attention, brand health, search and attribution into one single metric. No launch date has been announced.

McGraw believes the industry has relied too heavily on last-touch attribution and not enough on transparent, outcome-driven measurement. Disney’s approach is rooted in four principles: speed, simplicity, control and choice.

Disney is going all in on live events

Disney’s technology investments are setting up what the company expects to be a major year for live events.

In 2027, Disney will air the Super Bowl, the Grammys for the first time, the Oscars, the College Football National Championship and the NBA Finals.

Ferro said ESPN accounted for 33% of all live sports viewing in 2025, compared to 20% for the next-largest competitor.

“[Live] is a cultural phenomenon, and yet a phenomenon that I think is only getting more and more interesting in terms of how brands are showing up, the opportunities that are there, how the leagues are thinking about distributing that content,” Ferro said.