Press Release from The Walt Disney Company EMEA
LONDON, 15 April, 2009 -- The Walt Disney Company - Europe, Middle East & Africa - announced today the appointment of Peter Fitton to the newly created role of Vice President, Ad Sales and Promotions. Effective immediately, Fitton will manage all of the ad sales and promotions teams throughout the EMEA region, with an initial focus on Media Networks and Online (comprised of the Company's portfolio of kid-focused, family inclusive television channels and online destinations, including Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, Disney XD, Cinemagic as well as Jetix.com, Disney Online and Disney Family).
In the future, Fitton will also be responsible for the evolution of the organization into a fully integrated and consolidated advertising and promotions group to include all products and services, across all lines of business, franchises, and properties (both Disney and non-Disney branded) across the region for The Walt Disney Company. This organization will allow the Company to present its partners with unified advertising and promotions offers, optimizing the entire array of commercial opportunities within the Disney universe.
"Peter will be heading one of the most strategic organizations within The Walt Disney Company - EMEA," stated Diego Lerner, President of The Walt Disney Company - EMEA, to whom Fitton will directly report. "Our ad sales and promotion group will soon evolve to provide integrated solutions for our partners -- multi-platform, multi-target, and multi-brand -- yet another dimension of the Disney Difference."
Fitton was previously Vice President, International Sales, Disney Media Advertising Sales and Marketing Group, based in New York. There he supported the rapid growth of the networks' international markets through the creation of franchise-led ad sales strategies. Additionally he helped to establish and launch the ad sales business in support of the Company's first free-to-air Disney Channel in Spain; developed the structure for, and recruitment of, an integrated ad sales team in Australia and worked on the integration of the ad sales businesses in France.
"As we expand our proposition, our partners will be able to have deeper and wider involvement with all of Disney's content and businesses, thereby maximizing the touch points and special relationships that Disney has with consumers," said Fitton. "We have a very talented team in Europe and I'm delighted to be joining them as we build this one of a kind organization."
A truly international executive, Fitton has extensive expertise in business development and advertising sales and strategy within the entertainment industry. He joined Disney from MTV Networks Digital where he was Director, New Business Development and was responsible for new business across the company's network of entertainment branded sites in the U.S. market. He has also held several European advertising and promotions roles. As Vice President/Commercial Director, Turner Broadcasting France for six years, he was responsible for commercial revenue streams in the market for entertainment brands including Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies and Boomerang. At Turner, he also held the positions of advertising Sales Director in the Netherlands and Account Director in the UK. From 1992-96, Fitton was a Senior Sales Executive at Good Morning Television in London and he began his career as a Sales Assistant at Television Media Marketing in London.
Born in Hazel Grove and raised in Retford, England, Fitton earned his Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Reading. He will now be based out of Disney's European headquarters in London.
About Disney ChannelDisney Channels Worldwide is a portfolio of 94 kid-driven, family inclusive entertainment channels and/or channel feeds available in 163 countries in 32 languages, spanning Disney Channel, Disney XD, Toon Disney, Playhouse Disney, Disney Cinemagic, Hungama, GXT, Jetix and Radio Disney brands. Through cable, satellite and digital terrestrial television channels and a strategic partnership with Disney-ABC-ESPN Television for the third-party distribution of Disney-branded kids' programming across the globe, Disney branded content reaches hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.
About Disney OnlineDisney Online, a unit of Disney Interactive Media Group, produces the No. 1 ranked online European destination (Disney.co.uk, Disney.fr, Disney.it, Disney.es) for children and families as well as the UK based ukfamily.co.uk and raisingkids.co.uk. The Disney destinations are the online gateway to all of the company's Disney-branded entertainment and information – including movies, travel, television, games, mobile, music, shopping and live events.
About The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, interactive media and consumer products. Disney is a Dow 30 company with revenues of nearly $38 billion in its most recent fiscal year.
