Disney Pitches Advertisers With Star-Heavy 2026 Upfront Led by CEO Josh D'Amaro and Olivia Rodrigo

Disney assembled more than 100 stars at the North Javits Center in New York City for its 2026 Upfront presentation, staging an expansive pitch to advertisers that featured CEO Josh D'Amaro's first Upfront appearance and concluded with a surprise performance by Olivia Rodrigo.

The Details

Anne Hathaway introduced Josh D'Amaro for his first Upfront as chief executive of The Walt Disney Company. The event drew more than 100 on-stage stars according to Disney's corporate recap, underscoring the company's emphasis on star power as it pitched marketers on the upcoming slate.

D'Amaro opened with a self-deprecating remark about the scale of the event. "This is my first Upfront as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, so naturally we decided to keep the pressure low and put a few thousand media executives in one room to stare at me," he said. The comment, reported by Deadline, set a light tone for a presentation that carried significant business stakes for the company's advertising partnerships.

He later contrasted Disney's position with rivals by emphasizing intangible assets. "The thing is, you cannot acquire a hundred years of trust. You can't put generations of belonging on a balance sheet," he said. The line, also reported by Deadline, framed Disney's pitch around heritage rather than metrics alone.

The presentation also served as a promotional platform for Disney's upcoming sports rights. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appeared on stage in person alongside broadcaster Joe Buck, Jason Kelce and a lineup of Super Bowl MVPs to promote Disney's carriage of the Super Bowl in 2027. Jason Kelce and Laura Rutledge introduced the former MVPs on stage, including Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Steve Young, Emmitt Smith, Desmond Howard, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward, Kurt Warner and Nick Foles. Disney's corporate recap confirmed the appearance of Goodell, Buck, Kelce and the MVPs.

Disney used the event to announce casting news and preview upcoming programming. Paul Anthony Kelly will join the 13th installment of FX's American Horror Story. The company also previewed several upcoming Disney+ titles including VisionQuest, Ahsoka Season 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash, along with new Hulu and FX programming including The Land, Count My Lies, The Spot, Cry Wolf and The Shards.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King appeared to promote ESPN's documentary Give Me the Ball!, offering the line: "We're just getting started."

Context

Upfronts are annual presentations where major media companies pitch advertisers on upcoming programming and sports packages. The events serve as a critical moment in the advertising calendar when networks and streamers lock in commitments from major brands for the coming seasons. These gatherings allow companies to showcase their content pipelines and secure advance advertising commitments before the new programming year begins. The upfronts represent a key revenue period for media companies as they negotiate pricing and placement for the year ahead. Major networks and streaming platforms use these events to demonstrate the breadth of their offerings to advertising buyers who are deciding where to allocate budgets across traditional and digital platforms. The presentations typically blend celebrity appearances, programming announcements and detailed sales pitches to secure advertising commitments for the coming year. Advertisers use these events to evaluate where to place their spending across the evolving media landscape.

Deadline reported that the 2026 upfront cycle is broadly similar to prior years despite ongoing shifts in television and streaming economics. The trade publication noted that the broader market context includes changing viewer habits and the continued expansion of streaming platforms alongside traditional broadcast and cable offerings. Deadline's coverage of the broader upfront schedule characterized the 2026 presentations as following established patterns even as the industry adapts to new distribution models.

Disney's corporate recap noted the event tied together the company's entertainment, sports, streaming, film and advertising businesses in a single pitch to marketers. The presentation emphasized the breadth of Disney's portfolio rather than isolating individual divisions, according to the company's own summary of the event.

What's Next

The programming previews suggest Disney is positioning its upcoming 2026 slate across Disney+, Hulu and FX. The Super Bowl 2027 promotion indicates Disney is leveraging its sports rights for advertiser appeal. The combination of programming announcements and sports rights promotions formed part of Disney's unified pitch to marketers at the North Javits Center event.