By Lucas Manfredi
Copyright thewrap
ESPN’s Katina Arnold is joining Disney Advertising president Rita Ferro’s leadership team as senior vice president of communications.
In her new role, Arnold will oversee all strategic communications for Disney’s ad sales, working across sales, product, data and research to lead corporate messaging, media relations, thought leadership and executive communications initiatives for the company’s portfolio.
Arnold, who worked with the sports network for over 23 years in leadership roles including vice president of corporate communications and director of affiliate and corporate communications, will report to Disney Entertainment Television and Direct-to-Consumer communications head Naomi Bulochnikov.
“As Disney Advertising continues to deliver unparalleled value to our clients and audiences across our global business, Katina’s deep expertise and proven ability to elevate brands through thoughtful, strategic communications make her uniquely suited for this role,” Ferro said in a statement. “Her partnership will be critical in driving our next chapter of growth and innovation.”
“Katina is an exceptional leader and a gifted communications strategist,” Bulochnikov added. “Her deep knowledge of our business and the strong relationships she’s built across the company will enable her to hit the ground running, and I’m thrilled to have her leading our talented Ad Sales communications team at such a pivotal moment.”
At ESPN, Arnold led publicity for key business and properties, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, ESPN Audio, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming platforms, research and the talent office. She also held leadership roles spanning distribution, ad sales, ESPN Deportes, international operations, ESPN Films, the ESPYs and internal communications.
Prior to ESPN, Arnold served in communications leadership positions at High Speed Access Corp. and AT&T Broadband. She began her career at TCI Media Services in Madison, Wisconsin.
“It’s a tremendous privilege to step into this role working alongside Disney Advertising Sales and to join such a dynamic, forward-thinking team,” Arnold said. “I’m especially grateful to Rita and Naomi for their visionary leadership and trust, and I look forward to collaborating with them to help shape the future of our business. I’m also deeply thankful to my ESPN colleagues for their support over the years. The experience of working across sports and streaming has given me a unique perspective I’m excited to bring to this next chapter.”
Arnold’s promotion comes on the heels of the launch of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service and revamped app last month. It also comes after Disney revealed during its upfront presentation in May that the company has 164 million monthly ad-supported viewers across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.
As of its third quarter of 2025, Disney has a total of 207.4 million subscribers across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Starting in the fourth quarter, ESPN+ will no longer report total subscriber or average revenue per user figures. Meanwhile, Hulu and Disney+ will stop reporting the metrics during the first quarter of Disney’s fiscal 2026 as the two services combine into a standalone, unified app.
Looking ahead, Disney expects to add more than 10 million subscribers in the fiscal fourth quarter, with the majority of the increase coming from Hulu as a result of its expanded deal with Charter Communications. Disney+ subscribers are expected to see a modest increase from the third quarter.
