Latest in direct to consumer

Disney crashed the Emmys on Sunday, announcing the start to pre-orders for Disney+ and running an ad for the streaming service in the first position of the awards telecast’s first commercial break. The company said U.S. consumers can start signing up now, nearly two months before the November 12 launch of the…

Disney is combining its media sales and channel distribution into a single group to be led by longtime ESPN veteran Justin Connolly, who has been given the new title of President of Media Distribution. Based in New York, Connolly will report to Kevin Mayer, chairman of Disney's Direct-to-Consumer and International…

Janice Marinelli, a noted sales executive who has held several key roles at Disney and was promoted last year to president of Global Content Sales & Distribution, plans to wind down her 34-year run at the company. The exec’s departure is the latest significant exit as Disney absorbs the bulk of 21st Century Fox, which…

EXCLUSIVE: During its annual June convention, Promax plans an extra day devoted to marketers who have found themselves in between jobs due to the M&A waves rippling through Hollywood. The main three-day confab June 4-6 At LA Live will be preceded by a special invite-only day for those affected by mergers such as…

AMC Networks has named RLJ Entertainment head Miguel Penella to the new role of President, Global Direct-to-Consumer. He will continue to run RLJE, the parent of Acorn TV and UMC in which AMC acquired a majority stake last year. In his new position, Penella will oversee a portfolio that includes Shudder and Sundance…

Chip and Joanna Gaines, the Waco, TX-based duo known for hosting HGTV’s Fixer Upper, will front a new direct-to-consumer streaming service, Discovery CEO David Zaslav indicated this morning on the company’s quarterly earnings call. The offering will accompany the new linear TV partnership with Discovery that the…

The Walt Disney Co. has named Aaron LaBerge executive vice president and chief technology officer for its recently formed Disney Direct-To-Consumer and International unit. In this new role, LaBerge will report to Kevin Mayer and help shape the technology that delivers Disney’s entertainment and sports content to…

Disney’s reconstituted advertising sales unit has set details, priorities and the top executive team for its approach to capturing brand dollars in a fast-moving media environment. Rita Ferro, who recently added ESPN to her portfolio as president of Disney Advertising Sales, said her group would be divided into three…

As it pushes deeper into streaming, Discovery has tapped former Amazon exec Peter Faricy for the newly created role of CEO, Global Direct-to-Consumer. The company has talked for the past couple of years about rolling out a domestic OTT subscription service. Thus far it has focused more on securing carriage on vMVPDs…

EXCLUSIVE: In a spring season that has already seen Disney launch ESPN+ and Turner announce Bleacher Report Live, a new sports challenger is entering the subscription video on demand (SVOD) ring: Sports Illustrated TV. The over-the-top (OTT) service linked with the noted magazine will now be available direct to…