Disney’s fifth annual Global Tech & Data Showcase brought together top brands, agencies, and clients in Las Vegas to unveil the company’s latest technological advancements and innovation strategy. Taking the stage at the Chelsea Theater, Disney’s Global Advertising President, Rita Ferro, kicked off the event with an announcement: Disney Advertising’s ad-supported monthly active users across the company’s streaming platforms — Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — have reached an estimated 157 million globally, including 112 million domestically, on average per month over the last six months.
“In this transformative era of advertising, brands need more than just compelling storytelling — they need advanced solutions that deliver real results,” said Rita Ferro, President, Global Advertising, The Walt Disney Company. “Disney is at the forefront of this shift, making strategic investments in our ad technology and capabilities to help brands connect with audiences across streaming TV, live sports, and beyond. By combining our unparalleled content with innovative tools, we’re creating opportunities for brands to become part of the cultural conversations that shape our world — and we invite them to push the limits with us.”
Additional announcements made from stage include:
- Introducing Disney Compass: A proprietary data platform that simplifies the advertising journey. Disney Compass brings together first-party data, insights, and vendor integrations in one central location, enabling brands to activate campaigns with ease.
- Landmark Collaboration with Publicis CoreAI: Publicis becomes the first agency holding company to integrate with Disney Compass. Using CoreAI, brands can seamlessly activate insights from their own data, Publicis’ data, and Disney’s first-party data.
- New Standard for Live Sports and Entertainment Advertising: A new certification for live sports and entertainment, guaranteeing brands can advertise when and where they want. This includes expanding biddable media for live sports and the availability of Disney’s Magic Words next quarter.
- Disney’s Global Streaming Consumer Insights Study: As the industry moves towards cross-cultural, global streaming consumption, advertisers can now better understand the habits of streamers. Disney reveals valuable insights on streaming behaviors across the US, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC regions. Advertisers will soon have access to four new, proprietary global audience segments for activation: Empathetic Escapists, Reflective Explorers, Social Shapers, and Comfort Connectors.
- Disney Select AI Engine: A cutting-edge tool for brands to build custom lookalike audiences and deliver sequential messaging — all while expanding reach and without impacting frequency caps. The Disney Select AI Engine uses machine learning to drive accurate results, now available within our award-winning Clean Room ecosystem.
- Innovating on Ad Formats: Disney’s enhanced, user-initiated interactive ad formats allow viewers to choose how they engage with ads — whether by exploring a product carousel or playing a trivia game.
- Global Expansion of Disney Select and Audience Graph: Disney’s advanced segmentation and targeting tools are now available in all global markets where Disney+ is offered. Following a successful launch in Latin America, EMEA will be the next market to join this global rollout.
- Disney Magic Words LIVE: Building on last year’s beta product, Disney’s Magic Words expands to capture mood and emotions in real-time through live sports and entertainment. Biddable activation will be available next quarter.
- Disney’s BridgeID’s Rapid Adoption: In 2024, Disney’s BridgeID identity framework was adopted by over 6,500 brands. This solution streamlines digital workflows, enhances targeting, and enables cohesive cross-platform campaigns.
Key takeaways from Disney executives:
- Adam Smith, Chief Product and Technology Officer: “Disney has always known that great technology, in the hands of brilliant creators has the power to add new dimensions to products, stories, and experiences. It’s a simple but powerful formula: Unmatched content, plus world-class technology, plus data-driven advertising, plus global products, and live streaming at scale.”
- Dana McGraw, SVP, Data and Measurement Science: “Disney is not just setting the pace, we’re accelerating the rate of innovation for all. We have invested in machine learning and AI audience segmentation for over a decade to better understand behaviors across screens and bring new opportunities to life. With every new tool and capability we develop, we’re making adoption easier for our partners to have the most frictionless experience possible.”
- Jamie Power, SVP, Addressable Sales: “To unlock the true power of LIVE streaming, publishers, traders, and tech platforms must invest in cutting-edge technology and innovative buying strategies. Real-time programmatic is the game-changer, and we’re doubling down to ensure advertisers seize these opportunities like never before. With Disney’s LIVE Sports & Entertainment certification, platforms can confidently leverage spikes in viewership, bid density, and scale during pivotal live moments.”
- Josh Mattison, EVP, Digital Revenue Pricing, Planning & Operations: “As the leader in the market, it’s our responsibility to push the industry forward — beyond the Disney ecosystem — to help advertisers understand the role of streaming in people’s lives and what motivates their decisions to watch.”
