Katina Arnold Named Head of Disney Advertising Communications

Leadership Changes at Disney Advertising

Disney Advertising has announced a significant leadership change, with Katina Arnold joining the team as senior vice president of communications. Arnold will be part of Rita Ferro's leadership team, taking on a critical role in overseeing all strategic communications for Disney's ad sales. Her responsibilities will include leading corporate messaging, media relations, thought leadership, and executive communications initiatives across various departments such as sales, product, data, and research.

Arnold brings over 23 years of experience with ESPN, where she held several leadership roles, including vice president of corporate communications and director of affiliate and corporate communications. She will now report to Naomi Bulochnikov, who leads communications for Disney Entertainment Television and Direct-to-Consumer.

Ferro expressed confidence in Arnold's capabilities, stating that her deep expertise and proven ability to elevate brands through strategic communications make her well-suited for this new role. "Her partnership will be critical in driving our next chapter of growth and innovation," Ferro added.

Bulochnikov also praised Arnold, highlighting her strong knowledge of the business and the relationships she has built throughout the company. "She will enable us to hit the ground running, and I'm thrilled to have her leading our talented Ad Sales communications team at such a pivotal moment," Bulochnikov said.

At ESPN, Arnold was responsible for publicity for key business and properties, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, ESPN Audio, and the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming platforms. She also played a vital role in distribution, ad sales, ESPN Deportes, international operations, ESPN Films, the ESPYs, and internal communications.

Before joining ESPN, Arnold held communications leadership positions at High Speed Access Corp. and AT&T Broadband. She began her career at TCI Media Services in Madison, Wisconsin.

Arnold shared her excitement about the new role, expressing gratitude to Ferro and Bulochnikov for their leadership and trust. "I look forward to collaborating with them to help shape the future of our business," she said. She also thanked her ESPN colleagues for their support over the years, noting that her experience across sports and streaming has given her a unique perspective for this next chapter.

Recent Developments at Disney

Arnold's promotion comes at an exciting time for Disney, following the launch of ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming service and revamped app last month. The company also revealed during its upfront presentation in May that it has 164 million monthly ad-supported viewers across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

As of its third quarter of 2025, Disney reported 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. Hulu and Disney+ will also stop reporting these 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 due to its expanded deal with Charter Communications. Disney+ subscribers are expected to see a modest increase from the third quarter.