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 ...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
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.
