Rita Ferro, Disney's president of global advertising, is leading a significant expansion of the company's advertising business, positioning Disney to capitalize on major upcoming events such as the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and the Grammys in 2027. Her efforts are central to a media industry that is increasingly recognizing the critical role of advertising across diverse platforms, including traditional television, streaming services, digital channels, and social media. Ferro, a 29-year veteran at Disney, has been instrumental in developing the company's ad tech platform and leveraging its extensive intellectual property and international operations to drive revenue growth. She currently leads all advertising sales for Disney’s vast portfolio of entertainment, news, and sports properties, encompassing linear TV, digital, and streaming platforms.
Ferro's leadership comes at a pivotal time as media companies navigate a complex landscape where traditional revenue streams are evolving and new digital opportunities are emerging. The ongoing upfront negotiations with advertisers, where Disney and other media giants present their offerings, underscore the intense competition for viewer attention and advertising dollars. Ferro said in interviews with CNBC that she thinks "fandom" – whether in sports or entertainment franchises – is a core driver for the Disney portfolio. She believes this deep connection with audiences is what unites the company's various divisions under newly installed CEO Josh D'Amaro. This integrated approach, which D'Amaro refers to as "One Disney," aims to create a more cohesive and immersive experience for consumers.
Ferro further elaborated on the "One Disney" strategy, stating that it involves seamlessly integrating brand partnerships across Disney's movie studio partners and leveraging corporate alliances for park activations. She said this holistic approach presents a "far more interesting and dynamic opportunity than just a traditional media sales role." Actor Paul Anthony Kelly, who introduced Ferro at a recent upfront presentation, highlighted this unique aspect, stating that the "Disney difference" lies in "trust, innovation and unrivaled fandom," not only in the stories they tell but also "how they operate as a company." Kelly, who portrayed John F. Kennedy Jr. in the FX series "Love Story," also playfully claimed Ferro was his biggest fan, though he considered himself hers.
Ferro's journey to the helm of Disney's global advertising business is marked by diverse experiences within the company and the broader media industry. Her career at Disney includes roles at ESPN International, Disney Media Network's Kids and Family, and the now-defunct Disney Interactive, which focused on video and mobile games, social media, and other digital products. In 2018, she was appointed president of advertising in the U.S., expanding her responsibilities globally in 2023. Prior to Disney, Ferro gained foundational experience in the nascent cable television industry.
Born and raised in Miami, the daughter of Cuban immigrants, Ferro moved to New York City after graduating from Florida International University with aspirations of becoming a copywriter and art director. After one class, she said, it became clear that career path was not for her. Ferro said she subsequently became involved in fundraising for a production company featuring Latino comedians, where she "realized that I was much better at that side." Her initial foray into the media ad industry was with MTV in Latin America before its official launch. Reflecting on her first job, Ferro said, "In 1993 you're building an industry that doesn't exist," noting the lack of a blueprint allowed her to thrive in an "unsophisticated and unpolished" environment. Her expertise in Latin America and Spanish language skills later proved instrumental in securing her position at Disney, bringing her back to New York.
Her dedication to understanding the business firsthand is evident in her demanding travel schedule. Ferro said prior to the company's upfront presentation earlier this month, she had scarcely spent an uninterrupted week at home this year. Her itinerary has included major events such as the CES trade show in Las Vegas, the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, and the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., in addition to visiting Disney offices worldwide and often attending sporting events with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. Pitaro, one of three Disney leaders to whom Ferro reports, lauded her commitment, stating, "One of the things that I admire most about her is the fact that she is in the field. You get to a certain level in sales and a lot of folks decide they're going to focus on managing the team." Pitaro added that while many in sales at a certain level choose to focus solely on team management, Ferro "does a fantastic job managing the team, but that is only a small part of what she considers her role to be." Ferro herself emphasized her continuous learning, saying, "Everyday you're learning, everyday is different and we spend so much time outside learning our partners' businesses. That's what I love."
Selling the Disney Portfolio in a Changing Landscape
Disney has faced its share of industry challenges, including consolidations, reorganizations, and leadership transitions. Josh D'Amaro assumed the CEO role in March, following Bob Iger's second tenure, which aimed to strengthen Disney's streaming position, revitalize its movie studio, and boost its theme parks. On his first day as CEO, D'Amaro said his goal was to unite the company as "one Disney" to deliver "a more connected, personalized and immersive experience to our consumers." This vision was echoed by CFO Hugh Johnston during the company's quarterly earnings call earlier this month, who added that the focus is on "how we create, distribute, engage, and monetize our stories and brands across the company in a way that increases the lifetime value of our consumers and drives compounding returns for our bottom line – and thus for our shareholders." Ferro's mandate is crucial to this monetization effort, covering entertainment TV networks with prestigious events like the Oscars and Grammys, streaming platforms Disney+ and Hulu, and Disney's robust sports portfolio, primarily through ESPN's linear and streaming offerings.
Debra OConnell, chairman of Disney Entertainment Television and another of Ferro's direct reports, described Disney's portfolio as "large, but it's easy to navigate for our advertisers because of the way Rita has structured it. I'll call it one-stop shopping for everything that they need." OConnell further praised Ferro's leadership, noting, "She's always been a leader, and asks, 'How can I bring opportunities to clients that feel not only different, but also amplifying the engagement that a client could have with our audience?'"
Media companies have increasingly relied on established intellectual property to counter industry-wide challenges, including the decline of traditional cable TV subscribers, the push for streaming profitability in a competitive market, and the slow recovery of the theatrical industry post-pandemic. Amid these shifts, and the migration of consumer attention to social media platforms like TikTok, advertising's role has become even more critical. Wall Street, which once prioritized streaming subscriber growth, now views ad-supported options as a new metric of success as subscriber numbers have plateaued for many companies. Hulu, which Disney fully acquired in 2025, pioneered advertising in the streaming space. Disney's flagship service, Disney+, launched in 2019, subsequently introduced a more affordable ad-supported tier in late 2022.
The company's most recent quarterly report in early May indicated that streaming revenue within the entertainment segment successfully offset declines in both linear affiliate fees and advertising. Notably, Disney+ experienced double-digit ad revenue growth compared to the same period last year, signaling the effectiveness of its ad-supported strategy. As advertising gains renewed prominence, live sports has emerged as a dominant force, attracting the largest audiences and significant ad dollars. This trend is accompanied by escalating media rights costs.
The NFL currently operates under an 11-year, $111 billion media rights deal, while the NBA is in the first season of its 11-year, $77 billion deal. Higher rights fees necessitate a focus on return on investment. Pitaro said that at Disney, this means leveraging "the power of live [events] and sports, and the strength of ESPN's upcoming slate." He added that Ferro "gets and understands that," and that while sports rights are expensive, they must be monetized through affiliate fees, ad sales, and sponsorships, and "she's always delivering for us." This year, ESPN will air the Super Bowl for the first time ever, and the game will return to Disney's broadcast network ABC after 20 years. Super Bowl ads, which garner record money each year, are reportedly expected to command $10 million per 30-second spot.
Disney's commitment to sports and streaming was further amplified last August when the company launched the ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming app, featuring all content from its TV network alongside exclusive programming. CFO Johnston said at a recent investor conference that live sports is "massively, massively valuable to us" and, more importantly, "massively valuable to advertisers because they want these big aggregated audiences and they value that tremendously." Emerging as a key differentiator in global advertising, and on display during this year's upfront presentations, is technology.
Johnston said at an early March investor conference that Disney has "really redone our ad tech stack in a way that allows us to target for advertisers much, much more effectively." For Disney, this has included the buildout of tools and offerings to unite streaming and linear TV for ad buyers; expanding measurement partnerships; creating Disney's Audience Graph, essentially its own in-house first-party data about viewership; and in 2025 unveiling its ad-supported monthly active user methodology. Ferro said, "That was very clear to me, that if we were to compete we needed to control our destiny," rather than rely on a third-party platform. These additions have debuted as part of Disney's Tech and Data showcase at CES, which began in 2021, and serves as the unofficial kickoff to the upfront.
