Attendees at the Disney upfront could have played a drinking game by taking a sip everytime someone referred to the company as “unrivaled.” The message to advertisers: You’ve heard from other congloms this week, but no company offers such a wide range of storytelling options than the Walt Disney Co.’s suite of offerings.
Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, extolled the virtues of what he called “the greatest suite of DTC streaming platforms on the planet.” And he quipped: “We’ve been direct-to-consumer since 1955, when Disneyland first opened its doors. Until Kimmel gave his monologue, Rice made the only allusion to the infamous Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars slap during the presentation, noting that Questlove’s Hulu/Onyx Collective doc “Summer of Soul” was the biggest win at the Academy Awards — “I think we can agree that was the most memorable thing that happened,” he quipped.
Amy Schumer came out with Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner as “Kamy,” the unknown Kardashian. Said Schumer to Jenner: “Coming out of your pussy was honestly the biggest honor of my life and I want to congratulate you guys on your number one show and I’m not mad that I have a show on Hulu also.” “A lot has changed Disney and NFL,” Buck said, noting that ESPN will air 35 percent more games in 2023. And eventually the Super Bowl returns to ABC in 2027 and 2031.