For its upfront event last year, Disney teased Star Wars and Marvel projects; brought out stars such as Emma Stone and Rob McElhenney; touted a robust sports slate that included NFL, college football, and WNBA; and even hosted an afterparty where Danny DeVito was hanging out and taking selfies.
This year’s goal is simple: outdo it all.
“I thought our show last year hit it out of the park, and yet this year the plan is to one-up it,” Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of global advertising, explained to ADWEEK. “We’re super excited about what people are going to see, the announcements we’re going to make, the talent that’s going to be on stage, and all of that with a focus on brevity.”
Brevity may be a challenge, especially with Disney’s full roster of live entertainment tentpoles like the Oscars with Conan O’Brien and the Country Music Awards; a sports lineup with properties such as college football, the NFL, the WNBA, and the NBA; and an ongoing expansion of Disney+ globally.
Plus, the company is already having talks for its upcoming 2027 Super Bowl, which Disney will air in the first couple months of that year alongside the College Football Championship, the Grammys, and Oscars.
Ahead of Disney’s upfront presentation on May 13, Ferro spoke with ADWEEK about the company’s upcoming offerings, addressed the current market uncertainty brought on by tariffs, and explained what Disney has in mind for Super Bowl 61.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
You’re trying to one-up last year’s upfront event. However, last year, you made your entrance in a Family Guy cartoon, so that’s not easy.
That was a lot of fun. I’m not gonna lie. And by the way, as a mom, I got more props for that than absolutely anything else I do. So that was a moment. It was really special.
What are the priorities this year?
The importance for us is on, “We have unrivaled storytelling and the most diverse and robust portfolio of sports rights in the marketplace, bar none.” Disney sits at the intersection of quality storytelling and content, as well as the most advanced technology and data stack that was built for streaming, so people know exactly what they’re buying when they come here. Yet, at the same time, we want to make sure that we’re providing the most value for our partners and agencies and things that they’re looking forward to doing across our portfolio. That’s anchored in both IP and how we think about live, which is such a critical piece of everything brands are talking to us about.
