{"id":48024,"date":"2026-08-16T04:50:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T23:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=48024"},"modified":"2026-08-16T04:50:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T23:50:24","slug":"disney-leaders-talk-sports-international-and-fandom-to-power-disney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=48024","title":{"rendered":"Disney Leaders Talk Sports, International and Fandom to Power Disney+"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tAmid a torrent of fan-friendly news about Disney projects across the media spectrum, Disney leadership took time on the first day of the three-day <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/d23\/\" id=\"auto-tag_d23\" data-tag=\"d23\">D23<\/a> fan fest weekend in Anaheim for panels that offered a behind the scenes look at the Mouse House\u2019s business strategies and vision for driving growth in the streaming era. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tOne of the topics tackled was how to reach next-generation Disney fans with next-generation content formats to keep the company\u2019s many franchises relevant to Gen Alpha and beyond. Disney\u2019s push into the booming vertical media space \u2014 aka microdramas and other shortform clips designed to be viewed on mobile phones \u2014 was discussed in detail during a session with <strong>Eric Schrier<\/strong>, Disney\u2019s president of Direct-to-Consumer International Originals, Strategic Programming and Emerging Media, and <strong>Erin Teague<\/strong>, who is executive VP of Product Management for Disney Entertainment and <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/espn\/\" id=\"auto-tag_espn\" data-tag=\"espn\">ESPN<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe conversation was moderated by <strong>Jon YouShaei<\/strong>, a YouTube and Instagram executive turned creator and podcaster, and it also featured the perspective of Disney-centric creator <strong>Blake Silva<\/strong> as a panelist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSchrier emphasized that the \u201cVerts\u201d push on <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/t\/disney-2\/\" id=\"auto-tag_disney-2\" data-tag=\"disney-2\">Disney+<\/a> is a significant investment for the Mouse. The company last week unveiled a pact with TikTok designed to encourage more fans to create clips with authorized Disney IP. This is a big change for the company that has historically vigorously enforced its copyright and trademark rights.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve always looked at making film and television in very finite formats. Half hours, hours, feature<br \/>length films. And now you can tell any story. Creators are just storytellers,\u201d Schrier said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always talked about our creators before there were actually creators. The creator of \u2018Paradise,\u2019 Dan Fogelman, he\u2019s a creator. We talk about them as creators. And so they\u2019re just different types of storytellers. So how do we bring those stories to Disney+? How do we complement what we already have on platform? And it\u2019s early days, but we\u2019re really excited about this next generation of storytellers that are out there that are into Disney+.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tTeague pointed to examples that demonstrate how smart promotion and word-of-mouth via social media helps drive viewership to Disney\u2019s biggest investments in TV and film.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg 3600w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_ws1_4557.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-line-height-normal lrv-u-font-size-14 u-font-family-neue u-letter-spacing-007-rem u-margin-b-050\"><em>Creator<\/em> <em>Blake Silva, Disney\u2019s Eric Schrier and Erin Teague and moderator Jon Youshaei speak Aug. 14 at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim. (The Walt Disney Company\/Image Group L.A.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">The Walt Disney Company<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cThere will never be a replacement for that long-form original content but what is interesting is the way that it is now being supplemented by the shorter form analysis, the clips,\u201d Teague said. As with live game coverage for sports, she said, \u201cthe additional commentary and analysis around the game is just as interesting. And so the ways that we can merge those experiences to give people exactly what they want, when they want it in a split second, I think, is the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSilva asserted that most experienced creators who hone their focus on key brands and franchises know how to plug themselves in to the company\u2019s priorities. He said the TikTok deal and Disney+\u2019s embrace of creator content has been invigorating for the Disney-verse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe look at social media and clips going viral, about movies or scenes from movies all the time,\u201d Silva said. \u201cSo imagine how that would translate and convert when they\u2019re already in the app, to watch<br \/>it immediately. I really believe in the creator to talent pipeline. It\u2019s really exciting to think how could this create the next Mister Rogers, my idol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tTeague underscored that fans expect to be part of the action in ways that were unimaginable to their parents and grandparents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cNext generations of fans are expecting more from their entertainment experience. They want to be a part of the story. They want to put themselves in the story. They want interactivity. They want to have more agency in the storytelling experience with the democratization of creativity,\u201d  Teague said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tTeague also took part in a session on how ESPN\u2019s increasingly global sports profile is helping Disney find subscribers and fans.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cESPN is effectively synonymous with sports as a brand. So diehard sports fans know and love ESPN and have forever, that will never change. We will never stop serving the diehard, loyal sports fan because that\u2019s our base,\u201d Teague said during the session moderated by <strong>Joe Earley<\/strong>, Co-President of Direct to Consumer for Disney Entertainment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cBut two trends are happening. One, the internet and native generations. Gen Alpha, Gen Z, etc. They are now expecting more from their sports fandom and their sports experience,\u201d Teague said. \u201cThe technology is evolving and we\u2019re thinking about how to also superserve the casual sports fan, because that fandom is equally as real. And it turns out it looks very similar to Disney fandom. And so we\u2019re thinking about this consistently across our product experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Freddy Rol\u00f3n<\/strong>, ESPN\u2019s head of global sports and talent office, reeled off the latest stats for ESPN\u2019s reach with 43 linear networks in more than 130 countries and territories, and it is available on Disney+ in more than 100 markets. For the month of June, ESPN reached 640 million digital and social users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe reach more casual fans, we reach more female fans on Disney+ and then on the flip side, ESPN<br \/>brings to Disney+ a credibility about sports, authenticity about sports, and then really a recurring reason for fans to come back to the platform. Not just for the games, but for the game around the game,\u201d Rol\u00f3n said. \u201cWhen we think about all those platforms, they work in concert. They\u2019re not necessarily individual. We think about the game on Disney+, the coverage, and the social media platforms all working together to reach fans with information when they want it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  size-large alignnone \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure  lrv-u-font-family-secondary u-color-medium-grey lrv-u-border-b-1 u-border-color-light-grey-tint-two u-margin-b-150 lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:1024px\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-variety-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg 3600w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=1920,1280 1920w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=1360,907 1360w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=1000,667 1000w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=910,607 910w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=681,454 681w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=450,300 450w, https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1-20260814_dsc_1636.jpg?resize=250,167 250w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-flex lrv-u-flex-direction-column lrv-u-padding-t-1 lrv-u-padding-b-1\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-line-height-normal lrv-u-font-size-14 u-font-family-neue u-letter-spacing-007-rem u-margin-b-050\"><em>Disney\u2019s Erin Teague, Freddy Rol\u00f3n, Jo Fox and Joe Earley speak Aug. 14 at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim. (The Walt Disney Company\/Image Group L.A.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"u-color-medium-grey u-font-family-neue-xxs\">The Walt Disney Company<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<strong>Jo Fox<\/strong>, senior VP of marketing for ESPN, said the tighter connection to Disney+ as the platform has expanded significantly across Europe, Middle East, Asia and Latin America has been hugely beneficial. ESPN has made the strategic decision to make key programs available via Disney+ even for subscribers who don\u2019t get the bundle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe use the Disney+ platform and their audience, who might be different to our ESPN core audience, and we can talk to them more directly and get them more enthused about sports and ultimately engaging with Disney+ and ESPN as well,\u201d Fox said. \u201cSo as an example of that, we will have select college football games and \u2018College GameDay\u2019 unlocked on Disney+ coming up. Because the mascots, the pageantry, the tribal nature of it, the excitement around it. It seems like an amazing sport to be able to unlock some of these select games on Disney+ and talk to this new fan base.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tEarley also moderated a session on Disney+\u2019s international content strategy for local-language production with Schrier and <strong>Carol Choi<\/strong>, Disney Asia Pacific\u2019s executive VP of Integrated Marketing &amp; APAC Original Strategy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIt\u2019s a balancing act of leveraging the platform\u2019s worldwide reach with the need to keep subscribers engaged on a consistent basis. Local-language content has long been seen as key to reducing subscriber churn rates. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWhat we\u2019re really looking to do is tell stories for local audiences and be hyper-local. We call it local for local. So we make French shows for France, Spanish shows for Spain, or Brazilian shows for Brazil. And we do that all over the world,\u201d Schrier said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to be increasing that significantly to have local audiences have something that expresses their culture and their sensibility. And what\u2019s happened organically out of that local for local strategy is that those stories are now traveling back to other parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tKorea and Japan are prime areas of focus for Disney+ and local-language production.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cOur local creators and storytellers really appreciate the ability for them to tell stories that are authentic to the local cultures with the support of people who\u2019ve been telling stories like their whole career, like Eric and his team,\u201d Choi said. \u201cWith that guidance, we\u2019ve been very fortunate to have produced a number of hits, as well as having audiences outside of APAC discover these stories and content.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tChoi pointed to recent buzzy Disney+ series including \u201cTempest,\u201d \u201cPerfect Crown\u201d and \u201cA Shop For Killers.\u201d Earley added, \u201cSome of those Korean dramas put up numbers that rival or even exceed some of the global originals as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t<em>(Pictured top: Disney\u2019s Eric Schrier, Carol Choi and Joe Earley speak at D23 in Anaheim on Aug. 14.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amid a torrent of fan-friendly news about Disney projects across the media spectrum, Disney leadership took time on the first day of the three-day D23 fan fest weekend in Anaheim for panels that offered a behind the scenes look at the Mouse House\u2019s business strategies and vision for driving growth in the streaming era. One&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/variety.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260814_ws1_4933-e1786829660805.jpg?w=1000&h=562&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48024\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}