Rita Ferro

Rita Ferro is one of the most influential executives in media advertising, leading Disney Advertising as President with oversight of ad sales across ABC, ESPN, Disney+, Hulu, Freeform, National Geographic, and FX. She has been a central architect of Disney's evolution from a traditional linear TV ad seller into a sophisticated, data-driven advertising platform — championing programmatic capabilities, advanced audience targeting, and cross-platform measurement at scale. Her leadership of Disney's advertising organization places her at the intersection of premium content, streaming growth, and the broader transformation of the TV advertising marketplace. Before joining Disney, Ferro spent more than two decades at NBCUniversal, where she rose to President of Advertising Sales and Partnerships. In that role, she managed advertising revenue across NBCU's vast portfolio of broadcast, cable, and digital properties, building deep relationships with major brands and agencies while navigating the industry's structural shift away from traditional upfront buying. Her tenure at NBCU established her reputation as a dealmaker and strategic operator capable of managing complexity at the highest levels of the media business. At Disney, Ferro has accelerated the company's investment in advertising technology infrastructure, including the expansion of Disney's first-party data platform and its clean room capabilities, enabling advertisers to reach audiences across streaming and linear with greater precision and accountability. She has been a prominent voice in industry conversations around the future of TV measurement, identity resolution post-cookie, and the value of premium, brand-safe environments in an era of audience fragmentation.

• Led Disney Advertising's expansion into advanced programmatic and data-driven ad products across Disney+, Hulu, and linear properties
• Oversaw advertising sales across one of the largest media portfolios in the world, encompassing broadcast, cable, and streaming
• Played a key role in building Disney's first-party data and clean room infrastructure for advertiser use
• Spent over two decades at NBCUniversal, culminating as President of Advertising Sales and Partnerships before joining Disney