Rita Ferro at Disney Upfront 2025: “We’ve Reached 164 Million Monthly Active Users Globally”

Disney’s 2025 Upfront presentation at the North Javits Center in Manhattan kicked off to the beat of the Drum Major Mickey Mouse band and the Brooklyn United Drumline, paving the way for Super Bowl champions Patrick Mahomes and Saquon Barkley, who opened the show by introducing The Walt Disney Company CEO, Bob Iger.

The show showcased Disney’s reach in sports, streaming, entertainment, and technology, brought to life through a parade of more than 100 talents.

Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising, highlighted the upcoming launch of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service

Rita Ferro, President of Global Advertising, highlighted Disney’s exceptional value for advertisers and agencies – now reaching 164 million monthly active users globally with ad-supported content and offering 200,000 hours of premium content with unparalleled advertising experiences.

She also announced the upcoming launch of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer app and the recent rollouts of Disney Experience Composer and Disney Compass. With these innovations, Ferro emphasized Disney’s commitment to redefining what’s possible in advertising – “through scale, innovation, and storytelling.”

HIGHLIGHTS ON STAGE

NFL players and presenters Peyton and Eli Manning proved their talents go beyond football by participating in a live musical performance alongside stars from top shows, including High Potential (Kaitlin Olson) from ABC, Paradise (Sterling K. Brown) from Hulu, Get Up (Mike Greenberg), and Abbott Elementary (Sheryl Lee Ralph) from ABC. Together, they helped the Manning brothers pitch new project ideas to Disney executives.

Other talents who took the stage included Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach from FX’s The Bear, who revealed that the fourth season will premiere on June 25 on Hulu, with all 10 episodes available starting at 8 p.m., and on Disney+ internationally.

ESPN analysts for women’s college basketball and the WNBA – Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter, and Chiney Ogwumike – announced a new women-led sports show, Vibe Check, with an all-female cast highlighting the biggest stories in sports.

Representing Moana, the most-watched movie on Disney+, Auli’i Cravalho appeared on stage alongside Ginnifer Goodwin from Zootopia, who teased the upcoming theatrical release of Zootopia 2.

As the exclusive home for all things Star Wars, Diego Luna from Andor and Hayden Christensen from Ahsoka surprised the audience with an onstage appearance alongside Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, and The Mandalorian.

Diego Luna from Andor and Hayden Christensen from Ahsoka

Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, and Ashton Kutcher presented a first look at the upcoming FX series The Beauty, followed by a video from Kim Kardashian – executive producer and star of Hulu’s All’s Fair – who introduced her co-stars Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash-Betts, and Teyana Taylor to debut the series’ first trailer.

Accompanied by Goofy and the Brooklyn United Drumline, ESPN and SEC Network host and reporter Laura Rutledge, alongside Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian, celebrated the innovative streaming technology that enabled over 140 billion minutes of live college football viewing last season.

Actor Glen Powell introduced the new college football comedy Chad Powers, announcing it will premiere on Hulu on September 30 with two episodes available at launch.

NFL legends and ESPN stars Jason Kelce, Joe Buck, and Troy Aikman welcomed Saquon Barkley back to discuss the upcoming Monday Night Football season, the strength of the NFL on ESPN, and Super Bowl LXI, which will air on ABC and ESPN in 2027.

Patrick Mahomes later joined Jason Kelce to announce The Kingdom, a new six-episode ESPN original documentary series chronicling the story of the Kansas City Chiefs.

New York Knicks legends Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and John Starks joined ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt on stage to reinforce Disney’s role as the exclusive home of the NBA Finals, ten exclusive Conference Finals through 2035, and the five NBA Christmas Day games.

Actress Krysten Ritter greeted the audience alongside her co-star and Daredevil himself, Charlie Cox. She will join the second season of Daredevil: Born Again, reprising her role as Jessica Jones.

A climactic and chilling moment was the staged Alien: Earth invasion, bringing chaos, suspense, and the infamous Xenomorph to the North Javits Center. Shortly afterward, Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, and Babou Ceesay shared a first look at this series, which premieres on August 12 with the first two episodes available on Hulu, FX’s linear channel, and internationally on Disney+.

To conclude the presentation, Jimmy Kimmel delivered his signature sharp satire.

Jimmy Kimmel closed the Upfront presentation