Rita Ferro: Celebs Rumors

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor LAS VEGAS – The Walt Disney Co. showcased its investments in cutting-edge advertising technology on Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show, with top executives talking up the company’s enhanced ablity to serve marketers across linear and streaming platforms around the world. “2023 was Disney’s biggest year in our history for investments in ad technology, including theglobal expansion of Disney+ with ads,” said Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, told the crowd at the Cosmpolitan hotel.

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.

William Earl administrator Variety has added additional speakers and panels to its lineup for its 2024 Entertainment Summit at CES on Jan. 10 at the Aria.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Advertisers have eyed the Disney+ streaming hub as a place where they might tuck a promotional message alongside the binge-watch of a Marvel series, or, potentially “Phineas & Ferb.” Soon, however, Madison Avenue may have some other opportunities to consider. Disney is mulling the launch of shopping and gaming experiences on the streaming outlet, with which advertisers could get involved, according to Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising Sales. “The world of advertising experiences on AVOD is an important place to be involved in,” Ferro tells Variety, hinting that a new presentation Disney has slated for Las Vegas on Jan.

William Earl The Variety Entertainment Summit returns to CES on Jan. 10 at the Aria featuring a day of panels and keynote conversations.

Walt Disney CFO Christine McCarthy nudged investors to discard a few narratives that emerged from the latest earnings: that Disney parks growth may be unsustainable and that the company is shedding subscribers and slashing streaming content.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney has pegged total cash content spending at around $30 billion for this year — but the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike may drive that down, CFO Christine McCarthy said. “If you haven’t noticed we’re in the middle of a writers strike,” McCarthy said, speaking Wednesday at MoffettNathanson’s Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in New York. The WGA walkout may reduce Disney’s cash spending on content for the balance of the year, she said. At the MoffettNathanson conference, MCarthy appeared alongside Disney president of ad sales Rita Ferro. The two Disney execs spoke a day after the media conglom’s upfront presentation in the Big Apple to ad buyers and brands — which was noticeably light on scripted fare, given the writers strike. Marvel’s Kevin Feige previewed upcoming Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle, and announced premiere dates for “Loki” Season 2 and “Hawkeye” spinoff “Echo.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Disney’s annual upfront presentation leaned heavily on the company’s non-scripted programming, opening with nearly an hour of focus on ESPN and its sports offerings. The emphasis on live events, of course, comes as the writers strike continues and is expected to impact the fall TV season. In fact, around 100 Writers Guild members and other union supporters marched outside the Javits Center on Tuesday to remind Disney they are still looking for a deal with the company and the other studios. Among those seen on the picket line: Zach Cherry and Michael Emerson. Inside the Javits, sports and news stars from within Disney were out in force, while reality personalities like Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Jesse Palmer and Ryan Seacrest made appearances as well. Even WABC-TV New York anchors Sade Baderinwa and Bill Ritter got some time onstage.

Rita Ferro, Disney’s ad sales and partnerships chief, urged media buyers at the company’s New York upfront Tuesday to “lean into all aspects of diversity” with their marketing commitments.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Plenty of money will be spent on TV ads during this year’s “upfront” — but probably not enough to fuel the economics of all the nation’s big media conglomerates. TV executives and media buyers usually can’t agree on much at this time of year, when U.S. TV networks try to sell the bulk of their advertising inventory in advance of their next cycle of programming. Buyers and CMOs insist TV advertising prices are too high, while TV sales honchos demand a premium for ads that are seen by more people all at once than commercials accompanying a random binge-watch or a YouTube influencer’s streamcast. In 2023, however, both types of hagglers are in agreement: Madison Avenue will greet the industry’s annual ad-sales session not with open wallets, but with tighter purse-strings.

Even without a once-in-a-generation strike or a Twitter bombshell, next week would already pose a challenge to media companies making their annual upfront pitches to ad buyers in New York.

Disney Advertising has sold all inventory for Sunday night’s Oscar telecast on ABC, but with pricing slightly down from 2022 levels.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor To a movie actor, the Oscar statue is worth its weight in gold. To Madison Avenue? Well, maybe a little less. Disney has declared sell-out of the approximately 60 to 70 commercial slots it sells in each year’s Oscars broadcast on ABC, a little more than 48 hours before the Sunday broadcast. The company sought $1.6M to $2.1M for a 30-second spot, according to a person familiar with the matter, a slightly lower range than in the past, potentially owing to the economy, or the event’s ratings declines in recent years. In 2022, Disney asked for between $1.7 million and $2.2 million for a 30-second ad, according to media buyers and other executives familiar with last year’s negotiations.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDisney has set pricing and date for the U.S. launch of the version of Disney+ with ads, while also hiking the monthly price of the Disney+ tier with no ads. It’s also going to raise rates for Hulu — both ad-supported and ad-free versions — and introduce new Disney Bundle options.Disney+ Basic, which is the name of the plan with ads, will launch Dec.

Disney has wrapped its upfront advertising sales process, collecting a record $9 billion — 40% of it in streaming and digital.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe Walt Disney Company said it notched more commitments from advertisers in TV’s annual “upfront” market than last year, citing Madison Avenue’s interest in both sports and streaming content, echoing a sentiment heard from other TV giants as well.The owner of ABC and Disney+ said it notched around $9 billion in advance commitments from advertisers across its portfolio, which also includes FX, Hulu, Freeform and National Geographic. During the upfront, U.S.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDisney is anticipating that over the long term, the majority of Disney+ customers will pick the lower-cost, ad-supported plan, which is set to launch later this year.“Based on our Hulu experience, we actually have more AVOD [ad-supported video-on-demand] than SVOD [subscription VOD] subscribers,” Disney CFO Christine McCarthy said, speaking Wednesday at the 9th Annual MoffettNathanson Media and Communications Summit. “We expect about the same percentage for both Disney+ and Hulu, just based on the experience curve we’ve witnessed.”A few years ago, Hulu revealed that 70% of its viewers were on ad-supported plans with the remainder on the pricier ad-free version.Since announcing plans to roll out Disney+ with ads in March, the company has mostly been mum on details about Disney+ with ads, saying only that it will be less expensive than the ad-free version (currently $7.99/month in the U.S.) and will debut first in the U.S.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNo matter how many awards categories get screen time at this year’s Oscars telecast, one thing will be certain: There will be advertising around them.Disney has sold all the 60 commercial slots it has around its coming broadcast of the event late last week, according to Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising Sales, and the company hopes the 2022 version of the program will serve as a “rebuild year” for the spectacle after the coronavirus pandemic severely crimped moviegoing.“We are all coming back to getting social and going out,” says Ferro, in an interview, and Disney’s ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have agreed to make changes to the show after it has run into strong viewership headwinds in recent years. Executives, she says, have worked to solve the question of “how do we make the show more compelling, more relevant to audiences?” Among the changes: a trio of female hosts — Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall — after three years of programs without a designated person to lead the crowd; a new producer, Will Packer; and a decision to award several categories during off-air moments, then edit those presentations in later n a bid to streamline the event, which is often criticized for being too long.

Disney said Friday consumer streaming service, Disney+ will introduce an ad-supported subscription in addition to its option without ads in the U.S. starting in late 2022, with plans to expand internationally in 2023.

Disney has confirmed it will join other media companies in hosting an in-person New York City upfront during the familiar mid-May week long known for broadcast network presentations to ad buyers.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDisney is shaking up its traditional “upfront” process, planning to host multiple showcases for advertisers that highlight sports, technology and creativity, while moving its annual sales event to a new venue.“Everyone recognizes we understand storytelling, but we are also leading with innovations around data and targeting and really connecting brands with their consumers,” says Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising Sales, in an interview.Disney intends to hold its biggest upfront event on Tuesday, May 17, at New York’s Basketball City complex downtown. The venue, says Ferro, will allow the company to discuss its broad media portfolio in a more communal, interactive manner.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAfter mounting glitzy presentations to advertisers at a stately Lincoln Center auditorium for decades as part of the TV industry’s annual upfronts, Disney now plans a big break with Madison Avenue tradition.The owner of ABC, ESPN and Hulu intends to ask advertisers and buyers to convene at a new, as-yet-undisclosed location where executives can interact with the company’s entire media portfolio in a more hands-on way, says Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising Sales.“We need to modernize our presentation and how we show up,” Ferro told Variety.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue’s interest in digital ads, sports and new concepts tied to bolstering messages of diversity helped Disney close a fast-paced upfront that saw more than 40% of total dollars committed to the company go to streaming and interactive venues, the latest sign of how advertisers are working differently with some of the nation’s most traditional media companies.“We led with streaming this year.

Disney’s upfront  kicked off with a glitch .

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAdam Monaco was elevated to executive vice president at Disney Advertising Sales, part of a series of new appointments made under the unit’s president, Rita Ferro.Monaco, previously a senior vice president, will lead most sales for Disney’s news, sports and linear and streaming kids operations.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorThe technology group inside Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer and International division is combining ad-tech operations into a single team to be led by Hulu vet Jeremy Helfand.Streaming has become a top priority for the media company, especially in recent months as COVID-19 boosted streaming and wreaked havoc on theme parks, theatrical moviegoing and sports.The Advertising Platforms team matches the unified structure of Disney Advertising Sales, which encompasses Hulu as well as broadcast, cable and digital platforms under the oversight of Rita Ferro.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWhile some other TV companies are trying to get advertisers to spend on the programs they may or may not have in the fall, Walt Disney hopes to interest sponsors in what it can do for them no matter what happens in the near future.The company has in recent days been making presentations to advertisers and media buyers that not only talk about opportunities that may arrive should production and live sports resume in coming weeks, but also what Disney has been able to do for clients as the nation has been strangled by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.“Things are a little bit different now, and you have to show that,” says Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising Sales, in an interview.