• Universal is set to cut the ribbon Thursday for its new Epic Universe theme park in Orlando.
• Buzz is building and expectations are sky-high, but executives at rival Disney aren't worried.
• Insiders say why Epic Universe could actually be a net positive for Disney World.

Disney World is facing a formidable new challenger, but execs aren't breaking a sweat — yet.

Universal's eagerly anticipated new theme park, Epic Universe, opens to the public on Thursday in Orlando. It features attractions from tentpole franchises like Harry Potter and Super Mario, plus a Dark Universe section focused on villains and rides from the "How to Train Your Dragon" movie.

"Everything is so magnificent," said Francis Dominic, a theme-park-focused influencer who toured Epic Universe before its grand opening. He described it as immersive, colorful, and "what theme parks should be and could be in the 21st century."

By unveiling this flashy new park in Disney's backyard, Universal is "now applying so much pressure on what Disney can do and should do," Dominic added.

If Epic Universe is a huge hit, it could steal attention from Disney's nearby parks. An employee at the new park told BI that "they're not trying to necessarily overtake Disney — and they don't necessarily think that's possible — but they want to be a strong and healthy competitor."

But Disney's parks chief Josh D'Amaro, who's on the short list to succeed CEO Bob Iger, isn't shaking in his shoes. He's even suggested the excitement for Epic Universe is an opportunity for Disney.

"If something is built new in Central Florida, like Epic Universe, and if it brings in additional tourists — I can almost guarantee you that, that new tourist coming into the market is going to have to visit the Magic Kingdom," D'Amaro said at MoffettNathanson's media conference in mid-May.

Travel agents and analysts that BI reached for this story also think Epic could give Disney World an unexpected boost.

A Disney spokesperson referred to comments previously made by executives, and Universal didn't respond to a request for comment.

A win-win?

While D'Amaro's remarks may sound like spin, some media analysts think he's onto something.

Morgan Stanley's Ben Swinburne pointed to Disney's US parks bookings, which are tracking up 4% and 7% in the next two quarters, the company said on its early-May earnings call.

"Thus far, Epic's impact to WDW is either neutral to potentially already expanding the market in Orlando," Swinburne wrote after Disney's earnings.

This apparent strength follows a strong quarter in which Disney's US parks revenue rose 9%, despite economic volatility.

Travel agents have also told BI that there's enough demand to keep both Epic Universe and Disney World bustling.

Jenn Novotny, who runs the Upon a Star trip-planning service, visited Epic Universe before its grand opening, which she described as "spot-on gorgeous" with theming that's "literal perfection."

Novotny said she's seen a 9% surge in Universal bookings this year ahead of Epic's launch, but that Disney World demand hasn't waned. In fact, she expects her Disney bookings to grow by 18% this year.

Disney-focused travel agent Donna DeGiacomo said her clients are also buzzing about Epic Universe — and it hasn't come at the expense of trips to Disney World.

That aligns with what D'Amaro had told analysts: "That cannibalization is not coming from us."

Trouble in paradise?

However, Joe Bonner of Argus Research doesn't buy that "rising tide lifts all boats" sentiment. The analyst told BI that Epic Universe will likely shave off some of Disney World's market share. The question is: how much?

"It's only logical to think that there will be some negative impact on Disney parks revenue," Bonner said.

If tourists flock to Epic Universe over Disney World, Bonner said Disney may have to ramp up promotions to lure guests back. Profits would suffer, but D'Amaro said he'd do so if necessary.

"We can dial promotions up and down when we need to, against specific segments, if we're sensing the need to do that," D'Amaro said.

MoffettNathanson's Robert Fishman is encouraged by Disney's parks' resilience amid concerns about consumer sentiment and competition from Epic Universe, though it's not home free yet.

"We believe some cautiousness is prudent" given the Epic Universe launch and general economic uncertainty, Fishman wrote in a note.

For some parkgoers, the economy may be a bigger deciding factor when choosing between Disney and Universal's parks.

Disney superfan Shae Noble told BI in late April that she's tempted to go to Epic Universe, but she's torn between a trip to Disneyland in California (where she and her partner have annual passes), Epic Universe's new Super Nintendo World, and destinations like Italy.

"If the economy was better, we would take those days and go to Universal," Noble said. "But because the economy's not good, we're like, 'Well, we'll just stick with Disney, for now.'"

• Google unveiled Flow, an AI moviemaking tool, at the IO conference.
• Flow uses Google's latest AI models to generate visuals, sound effects, and dialog.
• AI-generated content could challenge traditional studios like Netflix.

Technologist Luis von Ahn was recently asked if AI is a threat to the company he runs, Duolingo.

He said many companies could be disrupted, including Netflix.

"That's one of the things that is scary about the world that we live in," von Ahn said. "With AI and large language models, we're undergoing a platform shift."

"I'm not super worried, but you just never know. And it's not just for Duolingo, it could be all kinds of things, right?" he added. "I mean, it could be a threat for Netflix. It could be that just a large language model — just press a button and it makes you the perfect movie."

This was a couple of weeks ago, and I thought he was overselling it a bit. That's until I got a glimpse of Flow, a new AI-powered moviemaking tool that Google unveiled on Tuesday.

At the Google I/O conference in Silicon Valley, the company showed off this new technology, along with some illustrative movie clips created by filmmakers who had early access to Flow. 

Flow was built on top of Imagen 4 and Veo 3, the latest versions of Google's image and video-generation AI models. The company says the updated Veo model creates better visuals and can now generate sound effects, background noises, and even dialog.

If you give it a prompt describing characters and an environment, and suggest a dialog with a description of how you want it to sound, it produces a film. In one illustrative clip Google shared, two animated animals talked with each other. (To me, it looked very similar to a Pixar movie).

Flow is designed to help creators produce high-quality cinematic video from text descriptions. Users can also bring their own images and other files into Flow. It integrates precise camera movements, including the ability to request specific camera angles, such as an 8-millimeter wide-angle lens.

You can edit the film, too, within Flow.

In one example shared by Google, a user requests a scene of an old man and a friendly bird driving a black convertible off a cliff. The car begins to fall, but using Flow, the scene is swiftly changed and extended using AI so that the bird in the car starts flapping its wings and flying instead. The edit seamlessly retains character and scene continuity. 

Implications for Netflix and traditional studios

While Google positions Flow as a tool to empower filmmakers, the broader implications are clear: AI-generated content could one day challenge human-created productions in quality, cost-efficiency, and scale. For companies like Netflix, which have built empires on high production-value storytelling, AI poses both an opportunity and a threat.

On one hand, AI tools could accelerate content development, reducing production timelines and budgets. On the other hand, it could open the door for a flood of content from smaller studios, individual creators, or even consumers, eroding the competitive advantage of traditional production pipelines.

Moreover, AI-generated media could be hyper-personalized. Imagine a future where viewers select themes, genres, or even actors — and the platform generates a custom film on demand. Just like Duolingo's von Ann described earlier this month. That could shift power away from major studios and toward platforms that control the underlying AI infrastructure, such as Google.

On a recent podcast, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the internet giant thought hard about acquiring Netflix years ago. Now, maybe he doesn't need to do that deal.  

The road ahead

Google's Flow is another sign of a broader trend, which is that AI may be democratizing creativity. While Netflix and legacy studios may initially integrate these tools to enhance production, the long-term landscape could resemble the transformation seen in music, publishing, and software coding — where AI tools and platforms radically lower the barrier to entry for more people.

The key question isn't whether AI will change filmmaking — it already is. The question is whether established players like Netflix will ride the wave or be overtaken by it.

As AI continues to evolve, so too must the business models, strategies, and creative visions of Hollywood's biggest names. The age of algorithmically generated storytelling is arriving sooner than we think.

Ad-supported tiers are proving to be popular with streaming customers. New data from subscription analyst firm Antenna shows that 46 percent of Discovery Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount Plus, and Peacock subscribers in the US are paying for ad-supported plans, and that around 75 percent of subscribers have at least tried them.

Many streaming services have ad-supported tiers  — HBO Max launched its $9.99 ad plan in 2021, followed by Netflix’s $6.99 and Disney Plus’s $7.99 plans in 2022, for example. But in its Q2 2025 State of Subscriptions report, Antenna notes that half of the big streaming platforms it analyzed didn’t offer an ad-supported plan two years ago, and only a third of subscriptions to services that did were for an ad plan. Comparatively, 71 percent of net subscriber additions over the last nine quarters have been driven by ad plans according to Antenna’s data, with no meaningful differences in demographic and loyalty compared to ad-free subscribers.

It’s a win-win for streaming companies that can reap the benefits of both additional advertising revenue and growth from providing more affordable memberships. Antenna reports that 65 percent of users who had subscribed to ad-supported plans were completely new to the streaming service, with users who had switched from pricer ad-free tiers accounting for only 11 percent of subscriptions.

Netflix’s ad tier has especially taken off, having doubled in subscribers over the last year. That success is emboldening the platform to start experimenting with its advertising model, with interactive and pause screen ads coming in 2026, and plans to blend AI ads into shows and movies in the future.

On Monday, SAG-AFTRA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Epic subsidiary Llama Productions for implementing an AI-generated Darth Vader voice in Fortnite on Friday without first notifying or bargaining with the union, as their contract requires.

Llama Productions is the official signatory to SAG-AFTRA's collective bargaining agreement for Fortnite, making it legally responsible for adhering to the union's terms regarding the employment of voice actors and other performers.

"We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies," SAG-AFTRA stated in a news release. "However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games."

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• Walt Disney World is building its first-ever affordable housing development.
• The 1,400 units will be built in Horizon West, a master-planned community in Central Florida.
• Housing insecurity is a problem in Central Florida — for residents and Disney cast members alike.

I don't typically spend my Friday afternoons flitting across Orlando in search of undeveloped plots, but nearly 80 acres of land have become a source of tension for some residents of Horizon West.

The master-planned community, complete with five villages and a town center, spans over 20,000 acres and is about 20 minutes from the Magic Kingdom.

Construction for nearly 1,400 mixed-income housing units — developed by The Michaels Organization on land owned by Walt Disney World — will begin this year. More than 1,000 units will be dedicated to affordable housing.

"We selected this land because it is part of a thriving community, close to employers, shopping, services, public schools, and areas of rest and recreation," Disney says about the development on its website. "We feel there is no better-positioned community in Central Florida to provide residents the opportunity to start a new chapter of their story."

Disney said the "critical" need for affordable housing units prompted it to pursue the project. "The lack of affordable housing is affecting many people across our country, including those who live and work in Central Florida," the company says.

Housing insecurity continues to impact Central Florida.

Residents across various industries are still reeling from the increased cost of living and the dicey housing market that emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic. That includes hospitality and tourism workers — like Walt Disney World cast members — who are vital to the area's economy. Former cast members have told local Florida outlets and BI that they've struggled with housing insecurity and securing living wages.

Walt Disney World has made strides to address the issue. In 2021, the company set a $15 minimum wage for cast members and increased it to $18 in 2023.

Critics of the privately funded project said the fast-growing area is already crowded and does not have the infrastructure to handle an influx of residents. Supporters said it's an opportunity to address the housing insecurity in Central Florida. Orange County expects the population, now over 1.5 million, to increase by 500,000 by 2050.

Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson, who represents residents in Horizon West, opposed a proposal for the housing units last year.

"We are not in a position to put more human beings in an area that isn't ready for them. I think we have this perception that affordable housing is the goal. And yes, it should be affordable, but it should also come with all the things we need for it to be successful," Wilson told WMFE, a local public radio station.

In response to concerned citizens, a Disney spokesperson told Newsweek, "Orange County leaders continue to identify affordable housing as one of the most significant priorities for our region, and we take great pride in bringing a plan to the table that can contribute to the solution."

Residents told BI that Horizon West used to be a hidden gem, but now it's attracting people in search of camaraderie and what they call the "village lifestyle."

I toured the community to see what all the hype was about.

Each Horizon West village has a distinct vibe

As I walked through Horizon West, one thing became clear: It's a lively, family-focused community that is quickly expanding.

Parents pushed strollers, couples walked dogs, and packs of laughing children sped down the sidewalks on electric scooters. Palm trees dotted the grassy landscape alongside several apartment buildings and retail spots. It's a far cry from when citrus farmers and their groves dominated the area.

Orange County began to develop Horizon West in 1995 after a series of freezes decimated the citrus groves in the area. Inspired by the new urbanism movement, developers created a master plan that envisioned each village having housing, shops, a place to work, a school, parks, and other things essential to daily life.

That "village lifestyle" is one reason Heather Parker and her family moved to Horizon West from Missouri in 2020. Parker is the culture & engagement manager for Horizon West Happenings, a community initiative focused on empowering residents.

"When we decided to move to Florida, my kids were in elementary school and middle school, so having the school was a very big draw to us," Parker said. "As we started researching, we found a couple of options that were a good fit."

It was also appealing that residents have easy access to green spaces and often forgo cars for bicycles or scooters, she said.

"Everything is open and connected," Parker said. "I can go to the grocery store on my scooter to pick up a couple of items or go to the dentist. The hospital is two minutes down the street from me. There are so many great things about everything being so close."

Although each village appears similar at a glance, Lindsay Turner, the director of marketing for Horizon West Happenings, said each "has its own unique vibe."

Hamlin, for example, acts as the downtown and offers a nightlife element attractive to young professionals. Bridgewater is "family-oriented," while Village I attracts many Disney employees due to the close commute. There's also a Brazilian influence prevalent in some villages that isn't in others, which Turner said shows how each area is distinct.

Horizon West's population boomed during the pandemic

Florida became a top destination for people moving states during the COVID-19 pandemic, giving it an economic boost but also increasing living costs. When I explored Horizon West, it seemed like there were signs and banners advertising real estate options on every corner.

Real estate agent Nicole Mickle said the influx of new Floridians was felt in Horizon West. She and her family moved to the area in 2018. "I sold many homes through FaceTime," Mickle said.

The US Census Bureau reported that 14,000 people lived in Horizon West in 2010, and that number rose to over 58,100 in 2020. The community is now about 75,000, according to the Census Reporter.

"The rumors are true," Turner said."The growth is exponential. It's insane how quickly and how fast things grow here. You can leave Horizon West for a month or two and come back to areas that are completely unrecognizable."

Horizon West has various housing options at different price points, which the developers specified in the master plan.

"Apartments could be around $2,500 a month, and homes could be multimillion-dollar over here," Mickle said. "I think the homes are still affordable for what Horizon West offers. You can't find this in other areas of Orlando at the moment."

Disney moves in

Mickle said the recent population boom, in tandem with residents' passion for Horizon West, could explain the stir around the Disney-backed housing units.

"What some want to do is keep the integrity of the community," Mickle said.

Residents circulated a petition last year saying they "strongly opposed" the construction because it threatened "the local environment and quality of life due to the inappropriate location and lack of adequate infrastructure." Some residents told local media outlets that the housing units would bring more traffic to the area, while others wondered how affordable the units would actually be.

Although the units have drawn criticism, Parker said they've also generated excitement from those looking for new housing opportunities. The units are meant for Central Florida residents across many industries and backgrounds, including firefighters, teachers, and hospitality workers.

"Not many teachers in Horizon West live in the area," Parker said. "It is an upper-middle-class area, and teachers in Florida may not make enough money to live here otherwise."

Parker said the project is designed to fit aesthetically with the surrounding Horizon West properties and will have coveted amenities like pocket parks.

"Disney has done a great job of holding community meetings, opening up the dialogue, listening, and trying to make sure everybody's on the same page," Parker said.

• Darth Vader is now a character on "Fortnite," using an AI version of James Earl Jones' voice.
• Jones's family said they allowed AI to use his voice because he wanted "all ages" to experience Darth Vader.
• Before Epic Games cracked down, the AI-powered Darth Vader was saying some questionable things.

James Earl Jones's family allowed a "Fortnite" version of Darth Vader to use his voice. They probably didn't expect it to start swearing at players.

"Fortnite" added the Darth Vader character to the game on Friday. The character uses conversational AI to respond to questions from players, "Fortnite" maker Epic Games said in a blog post. Once a player recruits Darth Vader to their team, they can use a special button to let anyone on the team ask him questions.

"Ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire... or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle, the Sith Lord has opinions," the post says.

But players are asking the AI-powered villain about more than just "Fortnite." In one popular clip, Twitch streamer Loserfruit asks the AI-voiced Darth Vader what is his "freaking fucking favorite food."

Darth Vader responds; "Freaking, fucking, such vulgarity does not become you Padme."

"You inquire about sustenance, and yet speak like a common thug," Vader continues in the clip.

Jones, who died in January 2024, played several iconic roles throughout his career, including the voice of Mufasa in "The Lion King" and Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" series.

In 2022, Disney partnered with the Ukrainian AI company Respeecher to create an AI version of his voice that the studio could use for future projects involving Darth Vader.

Jones's family said in a statement that they also allowed the use of the actor's voice in "Fortnite" because the late actor believed that the voice of Darth Vader was "inseparable from the story of Star Wars."

"He always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it," the statement says. "We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character."

A spokesperson for Epic Games told BI that Fortnite deployed a fix to stop Darth Vader from cursing "within 30 minutes of this happening in-game, so it shouldn't happen again."

"While we added several specific rules and instructions as part of our guardrails to prevent Darth Vader from swearing or repeating swear words, in this instance, our filters did not catch a specific variation of an expletive," the spokesperson said. "Our hotfix addressed this."

Epic says that it also put several safety measures in place to avoid players having negative experiences with Darth Vader, including standard Gemini safety settings and additional instructions to stop the AI from violating Epic community guidelines.

If the game detects a player repeatedly attempting to get Darth Vader in "Fortnite" to violate Epic's rules, Darth Vader will leave the player's team, and they will be unable to recruit him again during that game session, the spokesperson told BI.

• President Donald Trump spoke at a business roundtable in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
• Trump talked about Disney's planned theme park in Abu Dhabi.
• Disney announced its seventh theme park, Disneyland Abu Dhabi, earlier this month.

President Donald Trump has high hopes for Disney's seventh theme park.

"I see the new theme park is going to be incredible. Bob Iger was in my office the other day and he was showing it to me," Trump said during a roundtable with business leaders in Abu Dhabi on Friday. "It's going to be incredible."

Earlier this month, Disney announced that it planned to build its seventh theme park in Abu Dhabi. Disney, working alongside immersive experiences company Miral, said the theme park would be built on Yas Island.

"Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati — an oasis of extraordinary Disney entertainment at this crossroads of the world that will bring to life our timeless characters and stories in many new ways and will become a source of joy and inspiration for the people of this vast region to enjoy for generations to come," Iger said in a statement.

Representatives for the White House and Disney did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Abu Dhabi was the final stop on Trump's Middle East trip. Earlier this week, the president touched down in Saudi Arabia before traveling to Qatar and, finally, the United Arab Emirates.

Trump returned to the United States on Friday after securing a flurry of deals in those countries, including a deal for American chipmaker Nvidia to provide at least 18,000 Blackwell GPUs to Saudi Arabia and for Qatar Airways to pay Boeing $96 billion to build at least 160 jets. The US and Saudi Arabia also struck an arms deal worth almost $142 billion.

Disney has been a lightning rod in the culture wars in recent years, including its legal showdown with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Since returning to the company in 2022, Iger has sought to change this perception.

Although Iger publicly criticized Trump and his policies during his first term, his tune appears to have changed this time around. Disney, along with other companies like Meta and Amazon, for example, announced it would make changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives — an important agenda item for Trump.

"I've always believed that we have a responsibility to do good in the world, but we know our job is not to advance any kind of agenda," Iger said during a livestreamed meeting in 2024. "For as long as I'm in the job, I'm going to continue to be guided by a sense of decency and respect, and we'll always trust our instincts."

For a short period of time on Friday, Darth Vader could drop F-bombs in the video game Fortnite as part of a voice AI implementation gone wrong, reports GameSpot. Epic Games rapidly deployed a hotfix after players encountered the Sith Lord responding to their comments with profanity and strong language.

In Fortnite, the AI-voiced Vader appears as both a boss in battle royale mode and an interactive character. The official Star Wars website encourages players to "ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire… or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle," adding that "the Sith Lord has opinions."

The F-bomb incident involved a Twitch streamer named Loserfruit, who triggered the forceful response when discussing food with the virtual Vader. The Dark Lord of the Sith responded by repeating her words "freaking" and "fucking" before adding, "Such vulgarity does not become you, Padme." The exchange spread virally across social media platforms on Friday.

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• I attended presentations from Amazon, Disney, Netflix, and others at the TV upfronts in New York.
• The media industry is in flux, with declining linear TV and economic uncertainty.
• I saw how media companies are highlighting sports and tech innovations to attract advertisers.

This week, I attended events by Amazon, Disney, NBCUniversal, and other streaming and network giants in New York, where they made their biggest pitches of the year to ad buyers.

The TV upfronts are an annual series of presentations and parties during which TV ad sellers do their best to sell the bulk of their inventory. Given the jittery macro environment and the decline of linear TV viewing, this year's incarnation was expected to be a buyer's market. A recent EMARKETER forecast estimated that tariffs could drag down this year's haul by as much as $4.1 billion, a 23.5% decline from last year.

Still, the show must go on. And as far as I could see, the cloud of uncertainty didn't keep people from coming out. They packed ballrooms and concert halls to get exclusive peeks at the fourth season of "The Bear" on Hulu and the sequel to "Wicked," sip free booze, and catch Lady Gaga.

But the most entertaining moment of the week had to be Arnold Schwarzenegger, who came to Amazon's upfront to plug his Christmas movie, "The Man With The Bag." He had the crowd both groaning and laughing as he rambled on — until his "True Lies" costar Jamie Lee Curtis eased him off the stage.

Behind the parties and celeb antics, however, I could get a sense of the changing ad business — and five clear takeaways emerged.

1. The world has changed

Amid what's usually a celebratory atmosphere, media companies couldn't entirely avoid acknowledging that the world has changed. Sellers had to say enough to show they were sympathetic to the times, but not kill the vibe. This was a party, after all.

NBCUniversal's sales chief, Mark Marshall, kicked off the week with a nod at the economic headwinds (and why they shouldn't keep brands from staying on the air). Disney's Rita Ferro also flicked at the uncertain climate and how Disney was all about flexibility, a play to fickle advertisers.

On the whole, though, execs tried to keep the mood light. So it was notable when ABC's Jimmy Kimmel made an earnest plea for advertisers to support rival CBS's "60 Minutes," which is in President Donald Trump's crosshairs.

2. YouTube loomed, even if media companies dared not speak its name

YouTube's rising TV viewership — and the creator economy it's built on — has been one of the biggest media stories of the past year.

Studios have taken note.

This year's upfronts offered more signs of the shift, with Amazon renewing top YouTuber MrBeast's "Beast Games" for two more seasons, and Fox's free streamer Tubi bringing out social media stars like Noah Beck, who's starring in "Sidelined 2: Intercepted." And of course, YouTube reliably paraded out its biggest creators, including MrBeast and "Hot Ones" host Sean Evans, at Brandcast, its take on the upfront presentation.

Some legacy media giants like Disney went in the other direction by packing their presentations with famous franchises and Hollywood celebrities. Disney wanted you to know it had more than 100 talent on hand. The Mouse House seemed to be saying, hey, we have Hollywood-quality entertainment — and the stars most ad execs have actually heard of.

3. The upfronts aren't just about TV anymore

Upfronts used to be about showing off your fall TV programming, but this week showed how media companies are trying to sell everything they have.

Everyone was promoting movies in addition to shows, for advertisers who like to be part of big marketing partnerships. Amazon trotted out the Kelce brothers of its Wondery podcast arm and Lizzo and DJ Steve Aoki to promote its Twitch streamer. Whole Foods appeared on the screen at one moment.

"Now it's, let's showcase everything that we have. It's, 'Here's what we have, pick what appeals to your client,'" Alicia Weaver-McKinney, VP of media activation at ad agency Mediassociates, said of the broad menu on offer.

4. Sports are the new savior

Nearly every presentation was front-loaded with live sports as media companies leaned on the programming in their arsenal that's most valuable to advertisers as they looked to drive deals in a shaky ad market.

"If you heard anything other than sports, it was item number two, three, four on the list," longtime advertising advisor Michael Kassan said.

NBCU bragged that Peacock had more sports than any other streamer, and Jimmy Fallon didn't miss a beat, quipping, "It's great to be at the NBA upfront."

NBA-less WBD was forced to talk up its tennis, the NHL, and women's sports.

Some buyers privately wondered how sustainable the high prices media companies want for sports will be, though, given the glut of sports inventory out there and hesitance caused by economic uncertainty.

5. Big Tech is trying to change the language of TV

For the past few years, the tech companies have been crashing upfronts week, with Netflix and Amazon having their second in-person events this year.

Now, they want to change the way we talk about and value "TV."

Netflix's content head, Bela Bajaria, talked about slate, not slots, to differentiate streamers like Netflix from the old guard of linear TV, and pointed to its big engagement numbers to say Peak TV wasn't over.

YouTube's Neal Mohan emphasized how much people are watching podcasts on TV, the value of its creator-funded model of entertainment, and how it's giving creators tools to spiff up their shows with TV viewers in mind.

And Amazon touted new interactive ads, data about how much its viewers shop on the platform, and the ability to get them to buy with the click of a remote, something no linear TV company can offer. Every Amazon presenter seemed to be required to utter the phrase, "Full funnel advertising at scale."

Disney is launching its direct-to-consumer ESPN streaming service this fall. The service, which will simply be called “ESPN,” will cost $29.99 per month for the “unlimited” plan, which will include all of ESPN’s linear channels.

Disney will also offer ESPN’s unlimited plan annually for $299.99, which saves you about $60 compared to paying monthly.

For those who prefer to stick with the offerings included in the existing ESPN Plus service, the network will still offer the same programming in a new “select” plan that starts at $11.99 per month (current ESPN Plus subscribers will automatically be moved to ESPN select). You’ll also be able to get plans that bundle Disney Plus and Hulu, too.

Here’s a full list of the subscription plans you can choose from:

• Special ESPN unlimited bundle launch offer: Disney Plus (ads), Hulu (ads): for $29.99 per for the first 12 months.
• ESPN unlimited: $29.99 per month or $299.99 annually
• ESPN unlimited bundle with Disney Plus (ads), and Hulu (ads): $35.99 per month.
• ESPN unlimited bundle with Disney Plus (no ads) and Hulu (no ads): $44.99 per month
• ESPN select (same as ESPN+ offerings): $11.99 per month or $119.99 annually
• ESPN select bundle Disney Plus (ads) and Hulu (ads): $16.99 per month
• ESPN select bundle Disney Plus (no ads) and Hulu (no ads): $26.99 per month

The service will be available in the “early fall” with exact date announcement coming “later this summer.”

• Later this year, you'll finally be able to subscribe to ESPN without paying for other cable TV channels.
• The new service will be called ESPN and cost $30 a month.
• The fact that Disney, which owns ESPN, has taken a decade to launch this tells you a lot about the state of the TV industry.

Here's a scenario: You don't pay for cable TV, but you love sports. And you hear that ESPN will now let you buy a streaming version of the sports channel. So you sign up, for $30 a month.

And here's an alternate scenario: You pay upward of $100 a month for cable TV, but you're really only doing that so you can watch sports. So when stand-alone ESPN comes along, you drop your cable subscription and move to ESPN's $30-a-month plan.

Both of these scenarios are good for ESPN's owner, Disney. Either way, the company gets a monthly subscription fee from you.

But for now, Disney has to maintain in public that it's really interested in the first scenario.

"Our priority is looking at the 60 million-plus people that are on the sidelines," ESPN's boss, Jimmy Pitaro, said at a launch event Tuesday morning — referring to the pool of people who don't have a TV subscription.

But the truth is that both ESPN and the rest of the TV industry know there are people who might stop getting cable TV once they can just get ESPN. Which means they know the new service could help speed up the erosion of the cable TV industry.

And that also explains why this launch announcement — the service itself will come online sometime in late summer, in time for the NFL season — is taking place in 2025. Even though there's been intense speculation for a decade about a streaming-only version of ESPN.

That's because Disney, along with other TV network operators, has spent years trying to keep a foot in each canoe: offering some of its best programming on digital-only services like Disney+ and ESPN+, while keeping other core offerings on its traditional networks, like ABC and ESPN.

Because while old-time TV networks are fading away, they still generate meaningful revenue and profits for Disney and every other cable TV owner.

So in 2015, when Disney CEO Bob Iger first freaked out the industry by acknowledging ESPN's subscription base was starting to shrink, the company was loath to move to an ESPN-only option.

Fast-forward to the present: It's now commonplace for big cable channels like HBO to sell their programming as stand-alone streaming services. And the companies that own traditional cable channels are trying to figure out how to get rid of most of them. See, for instance, Comcast's plans to jettison most of its cable properties into a separate company, and Warner Bros. Discovery maneuvering so it can do the same.

Will you pay $30 a month for a stand-alone ESPN?

So while stand-alone ESPN is a big milestone for Disney and the TV industry, it's a muted one. We've been expecting this forever, and now it's finally here.

Meanwhile: Do you actually want to pay $30 for a stand-alone version of ESPN?

Because while that will give you a lot of sports, given ESPN's rights deals with the NFL, the NBA, and many of the biggest college football teams, it won't give you all the sports.

Notably: NFL fans — the most important group of sports fans, given the NFL's TV dominance — will still have to turn to other outlets to watch all the games, which are spread out across Fox, Paramount's CBS, Comcast's NBC and Peacock, and Amazon and Netflix. So ESPN won't be a one-stop solution for them.

That's a big reason Disney, Fox, and WBD teamed up a year ago to put together Venu, a bigger bundle of sports offerings. That one was supposed to go for about $50 a month, and its existence was a tacit admission that Disney itself didn't know how big the demand would be for an ESPN-only streamer.

Venu was supposed to launch later this year. But in January, the three companies pulled the plug on the joint venture. Now, Fox is launching its own sports-heavy streamer, and Disney and Fox may end up in some kind of deal down the line.

So on the one hand, the future we were thinking about 10 years ago is finally here: You are going to have lots of ways to pay for sports without having to sign up for a cable TV bundle.

On the other hand: Now that we've got it, we have no idea how many people are going to want it.