Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Disney Celebrates Vast Network Portfolio at Lincoln Center

15/05/2019

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
LINK: https://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/disney-celebrates-vast-network-...
See more stories from bandc

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Solid State Logics Berny Carpenter on Expanding System T With Virtual DSP, Cloud Workflows

Solid State Logic is advancing its System T platform with a stronger focus on IP...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Dolbys Giles Baker on the Growth of Dolby OptiView, Immersive Vision and Audio for Live Sports

From immersive audio to live streaming, Dolby Laboratories is focused on the fut...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design's Bob Caniglia on Implementing Cinematic Looks in Live Broadcasts

Shallow depth-of-field cameras have taken the industry by storm. Its debut a han...

22/04/2026

NAB 2026: Eastern Kentucky University deploys campus-wide ST 2110 network with Riedel and Bridge Digital

Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) announced that Eastern Kentucky University (...

22/04/2026

SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 4: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas

The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...

22/04/2026

NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design Announces URSA Cine 12K LF 100G

Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine 12K LF 100G, a new model in the URSA Cine family adding 100G Ethernet for SMPTE 2110 live production output up to ...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: NEPs Martin Stewart Talks 40 Years, the NEP Platform, and Scaling for FIFA World Cup

Celebrating its 40th anniversary, NEP is leaning into hybrid production with the...

22/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: NEPs Dan Murphy on NEP Platform, TFC, and the Shift to Software-Defined Workflows

NEP VP, Platform Dan Murphy sits down at the 2026 NAB Show to unpack what NEP P...

22/04/2026

Spotify and WNBA's New York Liberty Bring Basketball and Music Together With New Partnership

Spotify and the New York Liberty are teaming up to give music and basketball fan...

22/04/2026

The story of the Focusrite ISA preamp

New 20-minute documentary explores iconic design The Focusrite Room in Mesa, Arizona, where John Aquilino hosts the Studio Console 005. In 2025, Focusrite co...

22/04/2026

EverSync SP-10 wireless from Cloudvocal

Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...

22/04/2026

Arturia release Augmented Persia

Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...

22/04/2026

Acustica Audio launch Salt 2

Combines three distinct analogue EQ emulations The latest addition to Acustica Audio's ever-expanding collection of analogue-emulation plug-ins combines...

22/04/2026

Analog Empire: Bass & Lead from Melda Production

Final instalment in vintage-inspired instrument series Analog Empire: Bass & Lead marks the final instalment in Melda Production's vintage hardware-insp...

22/04/2026

Strymon reveal the Canoga

Fuzz pedal joins all-analogue Series A line Given that Strymons reputation was built on unapologetically digital pedals, it was a little surprising to see t...

22/04/2026

SBS names shortlisted brands for 2026 SBS Media Sustainability Challenge

SBS names shortlisted brands for 2026 SBS Media Sustainability Challenge 22 April, 2026 Media releases National broadcaster also releases its second annual...

22/04/2026

The Frequency That Decides the Fight

Why Low Band Electronic Warfare Matters...

22/04/2026

Polish national football team play-off games top monthly programme list

The nation unites around football team's World Cup dream Warsaw, Poland, 20.04.26: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and media intell...

22/04/2026

Nielsen and the Polish Organisation of Advertisers announce strategic partnership to elevate marketing standards in Poland

Warsaw, Poland, 22.04.26: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data...

22/04/2026

Nielsen helps New Zealand brands expand internationally with greater clarity and confidence

New market intelligence offering gives businesses a clearer view of local consum...

22/04/2026

Glookast Unveils New UX, YouTube and Social Media Connectors, Premiere Panel, Cinnafilm Tachyon Plugin and More at NAB

Glookast Unveils New UX, YouTube and Social Media Connectors, Premiere Panel, Ci...

22/04/2026

Lightcraft Technology to Preview Spark Story at NAB 2026 with Interactive Previs Experience

Lightcraft Technology to Preview Spark Story at NAB 2026 with Interactive Previs...

22/04/2026

Bolin Demos New PTZ Cameras and Controller at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/04/2026

Anchor Audio Launches Beacon 3

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/04/2026

FCC Grants WSWB TV License Transfer to Sinclair

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/04/2026

Telemundo Puerto Rico Streaming Channel Launches On Prime Video

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/04/2026

Chyron Announces PRIME Translate

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/04/2026

TV Tech Announces Winners of Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/04/2026

VEON's Banglalink to Bring Starlink Mobile to Customers in Bangladesh

22 Apr 2026 VEON's Banglalink to Bring Starlink Mobile to Customers in Bangladesh Bangladesh becomes the third market where VEON and Starlink Mobile partne...

22/04/2026

FIRST LOOK FOR NEW U DRAMA SERIES HIT POINT

U have unveiled exclusive first-look images for their six-part police thriller Hit Point, starring Nick Blood (Day of the Jackal) and BAFTA nominee Saffron Hock...

22/04/2026

UKTV Highlights: Saturday May 9th -15th 2026

What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week? This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...

22/04/2026

Sky announces fifth year of WNT Fund with 30,000 bursary supporting players and grassroots football

Wednesday 22 April 2026 Sky announces fifth year of WNT Fund with 30,000 bursa...

22/04/2026

This Earth Day, Discover the Sustainable Productions Behind Our Films and Series

Back to All News This Earth Day, Discover the Sustainable Productions Behind Our Films and Series Emma Stewart, Ph.D. Netflix Sustainability Officer Enterta...

22/04/2026

Retail Media Standards Are Expanding Into Commerce Media - Here's Why That Matters for Measurement

The move from Retail Media to Commerce Media is about broadening the scope of th...

22/04/2026

Dolby and BMW Bring Dolby Atmos to the BMW 7 Series, Expanding Immersive Audio Across Future Models

April 22 2026, 07:00 (PDT) Dolby and BMW Bring Dolby Atmos to the BMW 7 Series,...

22/04/2026

RT Licenses Stolen Sister to Pushkin

RT Documentary On One 7-part series breaks US market for first time RT Programme Sales has announced its first deal with a US distribution partner for its 7-...

22/04/2026

NVIDIA and Google Cloud Collaborate to Advance Agentic and Physical AI

NVIDIA and Google Cloud have collaborated for more than a decade, co engineering a full stack AI platform that spans every technology layer - from performance o...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: BitFires Colin Bonzey on Growing Spark Platform for Live Cloud-Based Productions

Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: AWSs Jason Dvorkin, Regina Rossi on Driving Innovation With Al-Based Workflows

The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: T-Mobile for Business' Jason Schnellbacher on Enhancing 5G for Sports Fans, Broadcasters

5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...

21/04/2026

Live From NAB 2026: Appears Ed McGivern on Fox Sports Deal, New XM Platform, and VX Software Debut

At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Studio Network Solutions launches on-premise AI suite for media production workflows

Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Suite Studios integrates file-streaming technology into Frame.io Drive

Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...

21/04/2026

NAB 2026: Net Insight integrates InSync FrameFormer into Nimbra Edge for media processing

Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...