Disney touts sports, streaming tech and storytelling at upfront (but mostly sports)

At Disney’s upfront presentation on Tuesday, President of Global Advertising Rita Ferro listed three pillars for unlocking value for advertisers: content, tech and data.

But the real star of the show was live sports.

It wasn’t Disney CEO Bob Iger who kicked off the annual pitch to the ad community. Instead, he was introduced by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

When Iger did step out onstage, he highlighted that Disney delivers the “most live sports hours” in the industry. Ferro added that Disney holds “the largest portfolio of live sports rights anywhere.” And later, Monday Night Football sportscaster Joe Buck declared ESPN “the only place that serves sports fans 365 days a year.”

Disney is positioning sports content as integral to its streaming future. Earlier in the day, the company revealed its upcoming ESPN service — simply called ESPN — will launch at $30 per month and be heavily discounted as part of a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu.

Sports remain the most reliable programming for media companies in securing ad dollars, especially during current economic uncertainty. According to Variety, 75 of the 100 most-watched prime-time telecasts in 2024 were sports events, up from 56 in 2023.

But Disney’s upfront wasn’t all sports. It also highlighted new original content and streaming ad tech. Here’s what advertisers need to know:

Disney showcased ad tech offerings

Ferro highlighted two ad tech features: Disney Experience Composer and Disney Compass.

The former allows advertisers to “test and refine their creative using real-time insights,” Ferro said, “maximizing the value of every impression for the right audience at the right time and now with the right format.”

The latter “gives agencies direct access to first-party data for smart planning, deeper insights and more precise measurement,” Ferro said (in privacy-focused ways, of course).

“None of this works without scale,” Ferro said, noting that Disney’s streaming platforms reach 164 million global monthly ad-supported users. She also voiced support for “an industrywide, third-party AVOD measurement solution with consistent metrics across all publishers.”

Live programming, not just sports

Disney leaned into its storytelling strength during its presentation — but even some of its original content was sports-related.

The company previewed the new Hulu series Chad Powers, based on an Eli Manning and ESPN skit where he went undercover to Penn State football tryouts; and The Kingdom, an ESPN original docuseries chronicling the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 NFL season.

The presentation also showcased programming around live sports content, including Vibe Check for Disney+, a news show covering women’s sports, and a reminder that Inside the NBA will move from TNT to ESPN starting with the next NBA season.

Lest advertisers forget about Disney’s popular franchises, the company also offered glimpses at new Star Wars and Marvel content for Disney+ and reminded everyone that its biggest movies, like Inside Out 2, show up on the streaming platform after their theatrical runs.

Disney emphasized that its live programming isn’t limited to live sports. The 2027 Super Bowl will air on ABC and ESPN; the Oscars streamed live on Hulu for the first time this year; the Grammys will start airing on ABC in 2027; and ABC News’ World News Tonight remains the most-watched nightly news program.

Jimmy Kimmel even made a point to urge advertisers to support news in his monologue — particularly CBS’ 60 Minutes which faces a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump.

“You have the power because you have the money,” Kimmel said. “Support journalism.”