Kevin Mayer, Disney chairman, direct-to-consumer and international, kicked things off at the Disney upfront, celebrating the various networks joined under the Disney banner, and Disney's takeover of Hulu. The power of the advertising portfolio we have put together might be the most exciting thing of all, he said.
The networks represented in the Disney upfront include ABC, FX, Freeform, National Geographic and ESPN.
Rita Ferro, president of ad sales and partnerships, was out next. She spoke of One event, one team, all the best brands in media, and noted that this powerful portfolio tells stories like no other.
Related: ABC Shares Fall Shows
She plugged the most powerful brands in local media in the ABC-owned stations, and said Disney harbors the best storytellers in the business.
The future of TV is TV, she said.
ESPN took its turn, as Scott Van Pelt of SportsCenter stepped on stage. We are what we have been for decades, the place of record for sports fans, he said.
He shared the strategy of Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN president and co-chair, Disney Media Networks: Expanding the audience, innovating and quality storytelling. It will always be what we do best, he said of the latter.
He mentioned The Last Dance, a 10-episode look at the Chicago Bulls of the Michael Jordan era.
Eli Manning and Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants spoke about their experience in the NFL. Barkley said he was learning leadership from Manning.
Reporter Laura Rutledge spoke about college football, and the networks kickoff match August 24, Florida versus Miami. She said the network has made halftime a must-see moment.
She spoke about an ACC network called ACCN, kicking off August 22.
Next up was FX Networks chairman John Landgraf. He spoke about overseeing "the boldest and most acclaimed" programming for adults.
He talked up Fargo, season four starring Chris Rock as a mob boss. Production starts in the fall and it airs in 2020.
Mrs. America features Cate Blanchett. About the fight for equal rights for women, production begins this summer and the show starts next spring.
Alex Garland drama Devs starts in the fall. "Were really excited about this series," said Landgraf.
Comedy Lil Dickey, he said, will make every top ten list for those 18-34, said Landgraf.
National Geographic was next, with Free Solo star Alex Honnold climbing on stage. "Presenting on stage is more intimidating than climbing," he said, as he introduced network president Courteney Monroe.
Brain Games is hosted by Keegan-Michael Key. Uncharted, a travel-adventure series, said Monroe, is hosted by Gordon Ramsay. The Hot Zone premieres Memorial Day, while Genius looks at Aretha Franklin.
The Harlem Gospel Choir then performed Franklins "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman" and "Respect."
Kenny Mayne's Halftime Show had Mayne making quips about the upfront, and poking fun of some Disney ad sales slides. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, he said.
In a nod to a network new to Disney, he joked about getting National Geographic magazine as a kid. It was like Playboy with more scholarly articles, he said.
Next up was Freeform, with The Bold Type cast sharing that season four is coming.
Tom Ascheim, Freeform president, spoke about the power of millennials. As they have grown, we've grown with them, he said, noting Freeform's sophisticated content.
New series include ghost drama Motherland, which counts Adam McKay and Will Ferrell among its producers, Everythings Gonna Be Okay, a comedy that touches on autism; and Party of Five, which Ascheim called a modern, powerful, extremely topical reboot.
Ascheim noted that Kleenex might be a good advertiser for Party of Five.
He also talked up Freeform's holiday stunts, such as 25 Days of Christmas.
Robin Roberts from Good Morning America was out next. She said we are living in exciting and challenging times, and GMA offers that human connection.
She introduced World News Tonight anchor David Muir. He called Roberts the heart and soul of mornings in America.
He reminded Americans that we have more in common than that which divides us. He also plugged 20/20 and spoke of the vast Democratic field vying for president. Anyone else wanna run? he joked. It's wide open.
Julie Bowen of Modern Family was out next, introducing Karey Burke, entertainment president. Bowen called Burke fearless and funny.
Burke called it a really big year for the company, and for herself.
She called The Bachelor the gift that keeps on giving. She described ABC programming as trail-blazing, thought-provoking and entertaining, and noted a strong access point for women.
She said ABC's strategy includes scripted and unscripted series, and big live events.
Describing Tiffany Haddish's Kids Say the Darndest Things, Burke called the project a dream come true. It will air Sundays at 8 p.m.
Next season will be the final one for Modern Family, and Burke introduced the cast of the long-running comedy and its creator, Steve Levitan. I am tearing up because I have to fill that time slot next year, Burke said.
Levitan recalled how 12 years and four network presidents ago, ABC decided to show the entire pilot of Modern Family at the upfront.
This room laughed in all the right places, he said. And when Cam and Mitchell introduced their new daughter to the family, they even cheered. In 22 minutes our lives changed forever.
We want to thank you for supporting us so enthusiastically from the very beginning and we plan on finishing strong, Levitan added.
Burke then introduce Stumptown, a drama starring Cobie Smulders, the actress everyone wanted.
She also introduced Grey's Anatomy, which is becoming the longest-running medical drama in TV history. Next season, there will be more crossover events be
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
Kevin Mayer, Disney chairman, direct-to-consumer and international, kicked things off at the Disney upfront, celebrating the various networks joined under the Disney banner, and Disney's takeover of Hulu. The power of the advertising portfolio we have put together might be the most exciting thing of all, he said.
