Disney is poised to ramp its already booming advertising business. Rita Ferro is behind the push

As Rita Ferro, Disney president of world advertising, ready to take the stage at the firm’s latest upfront presentation, she had actor Paul Anthony Kelly on her thoughts.

Kelly not too long ago portrayed John F. Kennedy Jr. in the restricted FX TV collection “Love Story,” and met Ferro at an earlier occasion. After a fangirl second that included an iPhone snapshot, Ferro requested that Kelly introduce her at the annual pitch to advertisers.

“That is the Disney distinction: belief, innovation and unmatched fandom. Not simply with the tales they inform, however how they function as an organization,” Kelly stated on stage earlier this month. “And all of this is largely due to Rita Ferro.”

“She claims to be my largest fan, however truthfully I feel I am hers,” Kelly stated.

Ferro is a 29-year veteran at Disney and has risen by varied roles to the prime of its advertising enterprise. That locations her at the heart of a media business rediscovering the significance of advertising, as conventional TV, streaming, digital and social platforms all jockey for viewers and advert {dollars}.

Whereas Disney and different media firms held reveals in mid-Could to dazzle advertisers, the negotiations to lock in commitments are at the moment underway.

Ferro stated in interviews with CNBC that she thinks fandom — from sports activities to leisure franchises — is key to driving the Disney portfolio and what unites the firm’s divisions below newly put in CEO Josh D’Amaro.

“Whenever you consider ‘One Disney,'” Ferro stated, referring to the technique being undertaken by D’Amaro, “and all of the alternatives to tie in model partnerships with our film studio companions, [and] the company alliance items that may tie into park activations, it is a much more fascinating and dynamic alternative than only a conventional media gross sales position.”

Ferro beforehand held roles at Disney at ESPN Worldwide, Disney Media Community’s Youngsters and Household, and Disney Interactive, which now not exists however had centered on the growth and distribution of video and cellular video games, social media and different digital merchandise.

In 2018, Ferro grew to become president of advertising in the U.S., and in 2023, she took over the enterprise globally. She now leads all advertising gross sales for Disney’s leisure, information and sports activities properties throughout linear TV, digital and streaming.

“On a regular basis you are studying, on a regular basis is completely different and we spend a lot time outdoors studying our companions’ companies,” she stated. “That is what I really like.”

The daughter of Cuban immigrants who got here to the U.S. simply earlier than the begin of the Cuban Revolution, Ferro was born and raised in Miami. She moved to New York Metropolis after graduating from Florida Worldwide College with the intention to change into a copywriter and artwork director. After one class, she stated, it grew to become clear she wasn’t fitted to that profession.

Ferro stated she quickly obtained concerned in fundraising for a manufacturing firm that showcased Latino comedians and “realized that I used to be significantly better at that aspect.” She obtained her begin in the media advert business working for MTV in Latin America earlier than its official launch.

“These had been the very early, early, early days of cable. MTV was perhaps the second channel that launched in the area. In 1993 you are constructing an business that does not exist,” stated Ferro of her first job. “So I am very lucky, as a result of I additionally obtained to do issues with no blueprint. It was a bit of unsophisticated and unpolished … which I feel I thrived in at the time.”

A couple of years later, her information of Latin America and skill to converse Spanish helped Ferro land a job at Disney, which led her again to New York. She now resides in New Jersey along with her husband and daughter, working in Disney’s Manhattan workplace when she’s not touring for work.

Ferro stated prior to the firm’s upfront presentation earlier this month, she had hardly spent an uninterrupted week at residence this yr. Her schedule has included the CES commerce present in Las Vegas, the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and the White Home Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. That is as well as to visiting varied Disney places of work to see her world group and infrequently attending sporting occasions with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.

“One among the issues that I like most about her is the indisputable fact that she is in the subject. You get to a sure degree in gross sales and plenty of people determine they are going to give attention to managing the group,” stated Pitaro, considered one of three Disney leaders who Ferro stories to. “Rita does a improbable job managing the group, however that is solely a small a part of what she considers her position to be.”

Colleagues of Ferro’s, each internally at Disney and extra broadly throughout the business, famous in interviews that her path to the prime of a media large’s advert enterprise has been non-traditional. At the similar time — maybe serendipitously — her varied roles over the years align with a few of the fundamental areas of development now central to the media business.

Disney has not been immune to latest business turmoil, present process consolidations, reorganizations and management adjustments.

In March D’Amaro took over as CEO following Bob Iger’s second stint at the helm of the firm — that almost all latest tenure lasting lower than 4 years and designed to fortify Disney’s place in streaming, return the film studio to its prior dominance and additional propel its theme parks and experiences.

On his first day as CEO, D’Amaro stated his aim was to focus the firm on “coming collectively as one Disney to ship a extra related, personalised and immersive expertise to our shoppers.”

Earlier this month throughout the firm’s quarterly earnings name, CFO Hugh Johnston added it is “about how we create, distribute, interact, and monetize our tales and types throughout the firm in a approach that will increase the lifetime worth of our shoppers and drives compounding returns for our backside line – and thus for our shareholders.”

Monetizing tales is the place Ferro is available in.

Her mandate spans leisure TV networks — with marquee occasions like the Oscars and Grammys —streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu and Disney’s sports activities portfolio, primarily comprised of ESPN’s linear and streaming choices.

“Our portfolio is massive, nevertheless it’s straightforward to navigate for our advertisers due to the approach Rita has structured it. I am going to name it one-stop looking for every part that they want,” stated Debra OConnell, chairman of Disney Leisure Tv and one other of Ferro’s bosses alongside Pitaro and Disney Leisure Chairman Alan Bergman.

“She’s all the time been a frontrunner, and asks, ‘How can I carry alternatives to shoppers that really feel not solely completely different, but additionally amplifying the engagement {that a} shopper may have with our viewers?” stated OConnell in an interview.

Media firms have leaned into established mental property in the face of widespread business challenges together with the decline of conventional cable TV subscribers; the push to make streaming worthwhile in a extremely aggressive panorama; and the gradual restoration of the theatrical business after the Covid pandemic — all whereas preventing to regain shoppers’ consideration that has shifted to social media platforms like TikTok.

Amid the shift to streaming, advertising’s position has solely gained significance.

Wall Road as soon as rewarded media firms for streaming subscriber development, however as these numbers have plateaued for many firms, the addition of ad-supported choices has been a brand new measure of success.

Though Hulu — which Disney acquired in items and took full management of in 2025 — was the first streamer to get in the advertising sport, the firm’s flagship service, Disney+, launched in 2019, added a less expensive, advert tier in late 2022.

Throughout Disney’s most up-to-date quarterly report in early Could, the firm’s leisure section reported that streaming income offset declines in each linear affiliate charges and advertising.

Disney+ noticed double-digit advert income development in contrast to the similar interval final yr.

As advertising reclaims the highlight, reside sports activities more and more dominates the dialog. The class, which now grabs the largest audiences and advert {dollars}, is seeing ever-rising media rights prices.

The NFL is in the midst of an 11-year, $111 billion media rights deal, whereas the NBA is in the first season of its 11-year, $77 billion deal. Increased rights charges means a necessity to seize return on funding. At Disney, which means leveraging “the energy of reside [events] and sports activities, and the energy of ESPN’s upcoming slate,” Pitaro stated in an interview.

“[Ferro] will get and understands that,” he stated. “That additionally comes with accountability, proper? Sports activities rights are costly and they also have to be monetized, not simply by affiliate charges however by advert gross sales and sponsorships. And he or she’s all the time delivering for us.”

This yr ESPN will air the Tremendous Bowl for the first time ever, and the sport will return to Disney’s broadcast community ABC after 20 years. Tremendous Bowl adverts, which garner report cash annually, are reportedly anticipated to promote for $10 million per 30-second spot.

Disney’s wager on sports activities and streaming amplified final August when the firm launched the ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming app, which options all of the content material from its TV community in addition to unique programming.

“To me, reside sports activities is simply massively, massively worthwhile to to us,” stated CFO Johnston at a latest investor convention. “Extra importantly, it is massively worthwhile to advertisers as a result of they need these large aggregated audiences and so they worth that tremendously.”

Rising as a key differentiator in world advertising, and on show throughout this yr’s upfront shows, is expertise.

“We have actually redone our advert tech stack in a approach that permits us to goal for advertisers a lot, way more successfully,” Johnston stated at an early March investor convention.

For Disney, that is included the buildout of instruments and choices to unite streaming and linear TV for advert consumers; increasing measurement partnerships; creating Disney’s Viewers Graph, basically its personal in-house first-party information about viewership; and in 2025 unveiling its ad-supported month-to-month lively person methodology.

“That was very clear to me, that if we had been to compete we would have liked to management our future,” quite than depend on a third-party platform, Ferro stated.

These additions have debuted as a part of Disney’s Tech and Knowledge showcase at CES, which started in 2021, and serves as the unofficial kickoff to the upfront. Many advert tech and information corporations supply these companies to permit for higher focusing on as advertisers are demanding more and more correct viewers measurement.

“She’s had the readability of thought to say, ‘We’d like to be a tech-driven, data-driven group with platforms that may compete at the degree of Google and Meta,'” stated Kevin Krim, CEO of advert information agency EDO. “Disney was early in investing in that stuff and aggressive in a approach I feel others type of hesitated after which later went all in.”

A lot of Disney’s in-house tech has been integral as advertisers search for specifics to goal viewers and measures outcomes.

Josh Mattison, govt vice chairman of digital income pricing, planning and operations at Disney, who stories to Ferro, stated in an interview that Ferro made a degree to be taught the ins and outs of the digital instruments at Disney’s disposal.

“She understood the significance of getting your personal advert tech stack so as to scale globally and reply to the market’s expectations,” Mattison stated. “If you happen to have a look at one dimension of how Rita leads, it is by the lens of not simply embracing expertise, however actually driving expertise, each inside Disney, but additionally taking a place in the business of how essential it is for patrons and the way essential it is for our enterprise.”

Ferro’s subsequent frontier is one which calls again to the starting of her profession.

Worldwide development has emerged as a precedence for a lot of media firms, particularly streaming companies that see a lot of their additions outdoors of the U.S. The identical is true for Disney.

“Disney+ has significant alternative for development internationally, and we’re centered on scaling outdoors the U.S.,” D’Amaro stated throughout the firm’s most up-to-date quarterly earnings name. “We’re rising our native content material investments, and early outcomes — they’re encouraging.”

For Ferro, this interprets to constructing out the ad-supported streaming enterprise overseas in the same approach to what she’s performed in the U.S.

“I began my profession worldwide, and so I am very obsessed with the worldwide a part of my job,” Ferro stated. “The U.S. enterprise is not solely mature, however there is a like a cadence, if you’ll, that is very common.”

As compared, she stated, worldwide markets include extra selection and extra to be taught.

This summer season, Ferro plans to go to Paris for VivaTech, which she described as “the CES of Europe.” She’ll take her mom along with her to rejoice the elder’s eightieth birthday.

Whereas in Paris, Ferro stated she plans to meet with firms and talk about how the nuances of worldwide markets can enhance Disney’s enterprise.

“For me, that is tremendous thrilling,” Ferro stated. “There is a vibrancy and a possibility that you simply’re like, ‘OK, I may actually make an impression right here.”