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

06/10/2025

France Tlvisions Wins Prestigious 2025 EBU Technology & Innovation Award in Groundbreaking Collaboration with Dalet

France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...

04/09/2025

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and Dalet Win Prestigious 2025 NAB Show Project of the Year Award

Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...

07/08/2025

Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, Redefining In-Car Entertainment Experience

July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...

11/07/2025

2025 Sundance Institute Producers Lab Fellows Announced

PARK CITY, UTAH, July 11, 2025 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Fou...

11/07/2025

Superman' Filmmaker James Gunn Reveals the Playlists Inspired by Your Favorite Characters

If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...

11/07/2025

L3Harris Delivers First P-8A Poseidon Aircraft to US Navy

L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert and General Manager of L3Harris Waco facility Sean Ling held a ce...

11/07/2025

WETA Launches WETA+ Free Streaming Service

ARLINGTON, Va. WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washingt...

11/07/2025

TV Tech's Top Regulatory Stories of 2025

The Federal Communications Commission has emerged as one of the central players in the broadcast TV landscape in 2025, with its deregulatory policies sparking h...

11/07/2025

Calrec to Feature Suite of Interconnected Audio Solutions at IBC2025

Calrec will introduce usability, customization and system enhancements across its entire range of Argo consoles during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterda...

11/07/2025

Encompass Supports DAZN's Coverage of 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

LONDON Encompass Digital Media said it will support live and on-demand viewing of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across multiple global regions for sports enterta...

11/07/2025

SBE Survey: Certified Broadcast Engineers Earn More

Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year....

11/07/2025

SmallHD Unveils Quantum 27 OLED Monitor

CARY, N.C. SmallHD has launched the Quantum 27, a new 26.5-inch Quantum-Dot OLED monitor designed to deliver postproduction image quality in a compact, set-frie...

11/07/2025

Tegna Will Pay $225K to Settle FCC Investigation

The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau and Tegna have entered into a consent decree that will settle an investigation into the accidenta...

11/07/2025

Sens. Markey, Lujn Again Call for FCC Vote on Paramount-Skydance Merger

WASHINGTON Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luj n (D-N...

11/07/2025

Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbe...

11/07/2025

Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks Adjusts Broadcast Booths for Rangers, Devils

Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks ...

11/07/2025

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Clients' Needs With Scalable Cloud-Based Storage

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Client...

11/07/2025

2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transition to the Cloud

2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transit...

11/07/2025

A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP

A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP Leaders from the HuskerVision and Lawo share their IP learnings By SVG Staff Friday, July 1...

11/07/2025

CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimbledon

CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimble...

11/07/2025

Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-Serrano 3 Card at MSG

Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-...

11/07/2025

'Too Hot to Handle: Italy' Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix

Back to All News Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix Entertainment 11 July 2025 GlobalItaly Link copied to clipboard July 11, 20...

11/07/2025

Netflix Will Release 'Death Inc.' Seasons 1, 2 and 3

Back to All News Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3 Entertainment 11 July 2025 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard Season 1 Season 2 Se...

11/07/2025

AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration

AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit The...

11/07/2025

A Gaming GPU Helps Crack the Code on a Thousand-Year Cultural Conversation

Ceramics - the humble mix of earth, fire and artistry - have been part of a global conversation for millennia. From Tang Dynasty trade routes to Renaissance pa...

10/07/2025

Taliban repression silences award-winning Afghan woman journalist

The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...

10/07/2025

A New Report Puts Aussie Artists in the Spotlight

Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...

10/07/2025

Spotify Toasts Oasis's Return With Exclusive Ways for Fans to Get Closer to the Music That Defined a Generation

This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...

10/07/2025

Spotify and Youth Music Open Doors for Future Artists

The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...

10/07/2025

Nielsen Appoints Richard Pacheco as Head of Global Partnerships

NEW YORK - July 10, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, today announced that it appointed Richard Pacheco as head of ...

10/07/2025

Sponsored: Robotic Deployments Are Transforming Local News

Local newscasts don't exist in a vacuum. News directors and station management constantly evaluate what's working, what isn't and perhaps most impor...

10/07/2025

Stuttgart Media University Upgrades Studio with Lawo mc56

Lawo has announced that Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien, HdM) has comprehensively modernized its central recording studio after selecting an I...

10/07/2025

SMPTE Opens Early Bird Registration for Media Technology Summit

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has opened early-bird registration for the Media Technology Summit, which will take place in a ne...

10/07/2025

TNDV Television Launches Aspiration 35 to Support Cinematic Workflows

NASHVILLE, Tenn. TNDV Television has launched Aspiration 35, a new version of its 40-foot Aspiration truck reimagined for cinematic multicamera productions....

10/07/2025

Key Code Education Launches Beginner, Intermediate Training Courses

BURBANK, Calif. Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermedi...

10/07/2025

Actus Digital to Show Actus X Intelligent Monitoring With AI at IBC2025

HACKENSACK, N.J. Actus Digital will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver at...

10/07/2025

Comments on FCC Ownership Rules Due in August

The Federal Register has published a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Notice seeking comments on its ownership rules that lists a d...

10/07/2025

Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for 'Superestar'

Back to All News Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video Play Video Entertainment 10 July 2025 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard...

10/07/2025

From Terabytes to Turnkey: AI-Powered Climate Models Go Mainstream

In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often strugg...

10/07/2025

Indonesia on Track to Achieve Sovereign AI Goals With NVIDIA, Cisco and IOH

As one of the world's largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its Golden 2045 Vision - an initiative tapping digital technologies and...

10/07/2025

VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing

10 Jul 2025 VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...

10/07/2025

5G for All? What the DFL's Use of Easy5G, RefCam Could Mean for Events in the Future

5G for all? What the DFL's use of Easy5G and RefCam could mean for events in...

10/07/2025

Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-15

Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-...

10/07/2025

Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New Era

Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New...

10/07/2025

Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions In-House

Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions I...

10/07/2025

FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First Production

FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First P...

10/07/2025

SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint Venture Targeting Local-Sports-Media Market

SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint...

10/07/2025

From Treehouses to the Deep Sea: A First Look at Sky Kids New Adventures

Thursday 10 July 2025 The Very Small Creatures Jaime's Treetop Tales Emerald BooSnoo! Christmas Mashup Pip & Posy's Spooktacular Party The Very Sm...

10/07/2025

Millions of Sky customers set to enjoy even bigger rewards as Sky VIP loyalty programme gets a major upgrade

Thursday 10 July 2025 Brand new rewards are coming to Sky customers, with free ...