Does size matter?
If size was all that mattered, Disney’s upfront would be leading the pack of this week’s presentations. The media company’s stage inside the North Javits Center was massive, stretching the width of a cavernous room with overhead screens showing onstage presenters too far away to see from the cheap seats. The stage was the source of multiple quips, as those onstage joked about traversing from one side to the other.
But the Mouse House struggled to match its upfront structure’s scale in the show’s content. Like the other media companies presenting this week, the writers’ strike prevented Disney from matching the star power of its past presentations. However, more than a lack of celebrity, the nearly two-hour show dragged as the company’s sports assets took up half the runtime with a series of onstage interviews and to tout Super Bowls that ABC will host for the 2026 and 2030 seasons. Peyton Manning hyped “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” and “The Bachelor” host Jesse Palmer discussed audience targeting segments. Trailer reveals for shows including season three of “Only Murders in the Building” and a cast of samurais that battled in the Javits Center aisles for the upcoming FX limited series “Shogun” were delegated to the tail end.
But Disney made the most of the talent it had, kicking off the show with an appearance by Serena Williams after ad chief Rita Ferro’s opening remarks. Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player who collapsed during a game in January, received a standing ovation when he took the stage during the ESPN portion of the presentation.
The biggest star power of the week was the appearance of Kim and Khloe Kardashian, who promoted the next season of “The Kardashians” on Hulu. There was also buzz for the trailers for the new season of Disney+ series “Loki” and a collection of “Star Wars” series.