With Fox’s new deal with Disney, Disney has become an even larger conglomerate and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, has decided to showcase the increase in May’s upfronts. With the acquisition of FX Networks and National Geographic Networks, Disney plans on presenting all of its networks, including ABC, ESPN and Freeform, to advertisers on May 14th. Disney paid $71.3 billion in the acquisition of 21st Century Fox that included FX and Nat Geo.
Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of advertising sales, shared her excitement on the new acquisition. “We’re thrilled to host our first ever combined upfront presentation for the 2019-20 season,” she told reporters. “We have some of the most iconic and inspirational storytelling in the industry and best-in-class brands. The combination of our great content, audiences, insights and creativity amplifies the partnerships and offerings we’re able to deliver to clients. We’re looking forward to a great event and a great season.”
This presentation to all networks at once is unusual compared to previous pitches. Variety states that in years prior, Disney would hold separate meetings for each company, making this an unusual turn of events. Concerning their kid-focused channels like Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD, Disney will still hold separate meetings. “We have lot of announcements to make,” Ferro explained. “We are holding a pretty good hand, and I am very excited to represent the cross-section of brands and audiences.”
Ferro added that the pitch is planned to be under 90 minutes with the idea being “one stop shopping across all of the Walt Disney Company.” As has become an annual tradition, Jimmy Kimmel is still expected to make an appearance and to give a comedy routine roasting his employers.