Disney CEO Bob Iger Opens Company’s Tech And Data Showcase At CES With Video Message Touting Company’s “Century Of Experience” As Execs Unveil New Advertiser Offerings

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Disney convened its fourth annual Tech and Data Showcase for advertisers at CES in Las Vegas on Wednesday, kicking it off with affirmation from CEO Bob Iger. “We know from a century of experience that when we marry our exceptional creativity with our relentless commitment to innovation, the results are never less than extraordinary,” Iger said in a video message. “The possibilities before us have never been more exciting and I’m so pleased for you to hear from the team today about the trails they’re blazing.” Disney Advertising President Rita Ferro came onstage a minute later, beginning a series of exec remarks highlighting various initiatives across content, advertising and technology. (Chief Brand Officer Asad Ayaz focused his segment on the company’s big plans for fan confab D23.) Ads are a key component to Disney meeting its closely scrutinized goal of turning a profit in streaming by the end of this year.

While the Disney+ flagship reached 150 million global subscribers in the most recent quarter, Iger and his management team continue to face questions about the financial viability of the streaming business.

Although scale has enabled the company to implement price increases, ad revenue will take some pressure off the drive to attain subscribers, which Iger himself has conceded was a misstep after the ultra-successful early rollout of Disney+ in late-2019 and 2020.

Alluding to newer players in streaming advertising (like rival Netflix, though no names were named), Ferro said Disney tech stack was “intentionally built for streaming” many years ago. “We’re not renting or borrowing our technology,” she said. “It’s no one else’s technology.