Disney’s Upfront Went Hard on Sports — With an Off-Key Manning Brothers Musical — but Hardly Mentioned ABC

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According to Disney’s upcoming show, Peyton and Eli Manning are quite keen on venturing into acting careers.

During its yearly pitch to advertisers held in New York City on Tuesday, The Mouse House emphasized its sports programming above all else. They showcased the Mannings and numerous other prominent athletes, while also linking scripted Disney content to events happening on the court or field.

The Mouse House (Disney) talked about sports more than anything else during their meeting with advertisers in New York City on Tuesday. They showed off well-known athletes like the Mannings and connected them with Disney’s TV shows, explaining how these shows relate to what happens on sports fields or courts.

The event kicked off with a lively performance by a marching band consisting of musicians from Jackson State and Delaware State, with Mickey Mouse as the drum major leading the way. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley then came on stage at New York’s Javits Center. Mahomes spoke highly of Disney’s unique, competitive, and enchanting storytelling that sets it apart as the “most valuable player” before introducing Iger.

The presentation started with a vibrant marching band showcasing musicians from Jackson State and Delaware State, with Mickey Mouse acting as the drum major. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley then joined the stage at New York’s Javits Center. Mahomes commended Disney for its original, competitive, and magical storytelling that makes it stand out as the best of the best before introducing Iger.

Although I, too, acknowledged Disney’s latest theme park venture in Abu Dhabi and praised the company’s broad accomplishments in entertainment and news, I found myself particularly enthused about sports programming. In a modest manner, I shared my time spent with footballers and expressed gratitude for their contributions that enrich ESPN. Lastly, I highlighted that Disney boasts “the most live sports hours” across various platforms within the industry.

The Mannings were essential for the show’s success. After a preview of Disney shows, Eli suggested that there should be more of them within the company. Peyton and he then sang about important projects, proposing to take the main roles in several ABC and Hulu series.

In five minutes, it lingered too long, but they earned kudos for their witty wordplay: They suggested replacing Kaitlin Olson’s character, “High Potential” cleaning lady, with a “cleaning Manning,” and renaming the other shows to “Abbott Eli Manning-tary,” “Good Manning America,” “Pey-radise,” and “Only Mannings in the Building.

Typically, prominent actors from various Disney productions gathered to discuss their shows and present clips. The gathering included Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short from “Only Murders in the Building”; Jeremy Allen-White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach from “The Bear”, who also mentioned Disney-supported films they are part of; Evan Peters, Anthony Ramos, Jeremy Pope, and Ashton Kutcher from Ryan Murphy’s upcoming FX horror series “The Beauty”; and Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson, Glenn Close, and Teyana Taylor from Hulu’s upcoming legal drama (another Murphy production). Kim Kardashian introduced the last group in a pre-recorded video as they prepare for their roles.

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I must share my excitement about the extensive showcase given to Disney franchises during the recent event. To kick things off, we were treated to an eerie introduction by none other than Darth Vader himself! Diego Luna and Hayden Christensen then took the stage, commemorating the 20th anniversary of “Revenge of the Sith.” They marveled at the global fandom Star Wars has cultivated over the years. Notably, they highlighted that the entire Star Wars saga is now available on Disney+, including the highly anticipated Season 2 finale of “Andor,” which was set to premiere mere hours after the presentation.

The highlight of the presentation’s news was the announcement that Krysten Ritter will return as Jessica Jones in “Daredevil: Born Again” Season 2. This revelation was made directly by Ritter and the series lead Charlie Cox, who were both present, followed by Sir Ben Kingsley sharing details about his upcoming MCU show “Wonder Man.” The event then proceeded with the most thrilling moment of the day – a trailer unveil for “Alien: Earth,” featuring stars Timothy Olyphant, Sydney Chandler, and Babou Ceesay.

As a pioneer in family entertainment, Disney brought together Ginnifer Goodwin and Auliʻi Cravalho to promote the upcoming movies “Zootopia 2” and “Moana 2”. They also highlighted that the original films from these series have garnered substantial viewership on Disney+.

Nonetheless, the conversation always returned to sports. To kick off her speech, Disney’s global advertising president Rita Ferro highlighted the New York Knicks’ victory from the previous night. Despite her main topic being ad infrastructure across the Disney brand, she only singled out ESPN specifically. Even during Ryan Seacrest’s presentation, renowned for hosting competitions and festive programs, sports accounted for half of the live events broadcasts that were highlighted.

In this event, different segments were moderated by NBA commentator Stephen A. Smith, who discussed ESPN’s latest streaming app. Additionally, sports analysts Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike, and Andraya Carter unveiled their new women-centric sports commentary show titled “Vibe Check”. Furthermore, University of Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge shared insights about college football on ABC and ESPN. Lastly, the conversation shifted to professional football with ESPN anchor Joe Buck, former quarterback Troy Aikman (currently an anchor for ABC/ESPN), as well as Barkley and Eagles center Jason Kelsce.

As I eagerly awaited Glen Powell’s chat about his upcoming Hulu football comedy “Chad Powers,” it was the Mannings who graciously introduced him, given their executive producer roles for the series. Stepping back onto the stage in grand fashion were the very same marching band that had made an entrance earlier — but this time, leading the parade was none other than Goofy, replacing Mickey from before.

During Disney’s presentation, the frequent topic of humor centered around Bill Belichick, with a highlight being Buck suggesting that the renowned football coach might soon duet “Endless Love” with his younger partner Jordon Hudson. (Pope Leo XIV trailed closely behind in terms of mentions, as Martin Short joked that there would be white smoke signifying renewal for each Disney show and black smoke for cancellations.)

It appears that Disney is increasingly focusing on sports content and expanding its collection of scripted series, which suggests a diminishing interest in the television division compared to earlier times.

In a past time, ABC, a brand that could have been the star of Disney’s annual broadcast presentations, was hardly spoken about at the Javits Center. Notable ABC talents like Sheryl Lee Ralph, Olson, and Robin Roberts made brief, humorous appearances to counter the Mannings during their musical number, and Roberts returned later with David Muir to highlight the achievements of “Good Morning America” and ABC News. However, none of ABC’s prime-time shows were given individual segments, not even the network’s sole new offering for 2025-2026: “9-1-1: Nashville.” While Ryan Murphy-created shows on various other platforms received attention throughout the presentation, the new “9-1-1” was only mentioned in passing during Jimmy Kimmel’s closing remarks, and he didn’t speak highly of it or its name.

On ABC, we added a new series to our lineup; it’s actually a sequel to an older show, which makes one wonder: What exactly are we up to here?,” commented the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, who was the sole ABC talent to speak for over a minute. “We put ourselves in harm’s way by traveling to Newark for this? I mean, suppose you dined at a restaurant and the waiter announced, ‘Tonight’s special is last year’s dish,’ would you eat it? Absolutely not. Our offerings aren’t fresh. However, we do have: The second season of ‘The Golden Bachelor.’ Regardless of opinions about ABC – we are still the only network where you can watch a grandpa get a massage in a hot tub. ‘The Golden Bachelor’ and Season 34 of ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ At ABC, we understand what young people are interested in, and it’s not us.

As a film enthusiast, I can certainly understand why those humorous comments were appropriate during the pitch to advertisers. After all, the main focus of the presentation revolved around the one genre of broadcast programming that’s managed to retain its audience in the streaming era: sports. And it seems unlikely that this trend will shift anytime soon, unless perhaps the Mannings finally get someone on board for their proposed musical comedy series.

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2025-05-14 04:51