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Since assuming her current role as co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group in 2004, Anne Sweeney has repeatedly been named the Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter, one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune and one of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes.
In this role Ms. Sweeney is responsible for Disney’s entertainment and news television properties globally. These include the ABC Television Network, which encompasses ABC Entertainment, ABC Kids, ABC Daytime and ABC News; ABC Television Studio; and Disney ABC Cable Networks Group, comprising Disney Channel Worldwide -- which has grown to 24 wholly-owned international channels -- Toon Disney, SOAPnet, ABC Family and Jetix. In addition she oversees the Radio Disney Network, Walt Disney Television Animation, Buena Vista Worldwide Television and Walt Disney Television International, and has responsibility for managing Disney’s equity interests in Lifetime Entertainment Services and A&E Television Networks.
During her tenure, Disney-ABC Television Group’s properties have experienced tremendous growth. With the help of hit series Grey’s Anatomy,Desperate Housewives and Dancing with the Stars, ABC has grown its primetime audience by 9 percent from the 2003-04 TV season to date among Adults 18-49, while simultaneously moving from third to first place in the delivery of viewers earning an annual income of more than $100K. The Group’s production studio, ABC Television Studio, has grown its creative product output from 11 series in 2004 to 17 currently across broadcast and cable television, with Buena Vista International Television distributing many of ABC Television Studio’s hit properties to more than 200 territories worldwide. Popular series such as Ugly Betty and Lost have found new audiences across a variety of platforms, including VOD, broadband and mobile, in addition to the internet. ABC News’ World News with Charles Gibson has also moved into the 24-hour digital space, with content available throughout the day on ABCNews.com and an afternoon webcast that is downloaded by millions.
Consistently ranked as basic cable’s No. 1 network in prime among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14, Disney Channel has continued to develop branded programming with worldwide appeal, utilizing popular series like Hannah Montana, the CG animated Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Disney Channel Original Movies like the smash hit High School Musical to continue its ratings momentum and expand into additional markets around the world. ABC Family also continues to grow its core audience under Ms. Sweeney’s leadership, with exciting, hip programming like Kyle XY, which ranks as the channel’s strongest original series ever, with an average of more than two million Total Viewers. SOAPnet has grown from 37 million homes in 2004 to more than 57 million homes today, partnering with ABC Daytime to develop a variety of multi-genre experiences that continue to engage daytime fans.
From October 2000 to April 2004, Ms. Sweeney served as president of ABC Cable Networks Group and Disney Channel Worldwide. Under her leadership, Disney Channel more than quintupled its subscriber base with its mix of original series and movies and acquired programming. It is now available on basic cable in more than 89 million homes in the United States.
Ms. Sweeney also oversaw the successful launch of the 24-hour animation channel Toon Disney in April 1998, and built it to its current reach of more than 59 million homes in the United States.Less than two years later, in January 2000, she oversaw the launch of SOAPnet, the 24-hour soap opera network.
Ms. Sweeney joined The Walt Disney Company in February 1996 as president of Disney Channel and executive vice president of Disney/ABC Cable Networks. Previously she was chairman and CEO of FX Networks, Inc., since 1993. During her tenure, she presided over the launch of two basic cable networks, FX, an entertainment network representing the most successful basic cable launch in history, and FXM: Movies from Fox, Hollywood’s first studio-based movie network.
Before joining Fox, Ms. Sweeney spent 12 years at Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite in various executive positions, most recently as senior vice president of Program Enterprises. Among many accomplishments, she oversaw Nickelodeon’s international expansion, including launching the channel in the United Kingdom, resulting in a joint venture with British Sky Broadcasting.
Active in organizations both within and outside the cable industry, Ms. Sweeney is a board member of Lifetime Television, the Museum of Television & Radio, the Special Olympics and an honorary chair of Cable Positive.
In May 2006, Ms. Sweeney was honored by the Producers Guild of America with their President’s Citation for her efforts on behalf of diversity across the Disney-ABC Television Group. She was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2005, and was a recipient of the 2004 Muse Award from New York Women in Film & Television. Ms. Sweeney has been honored repeatedly by Women in Cable & Telecommunications -- as Executive of the Year in 1994, Woman of the Year in 1997, and in 1998 as the recipient of the Advocate Leader Award from WICT’s Southern California chapter. In 1995 she received the prestigious STAR Award from American Women in Radio and Television. She was inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement in 1996. In 2002 she received Women in Film’s esteemed Lucy Award and has been awarded the Cable Television Public Affairs Association’s President’s Award.
Ms. Sweeney earned a BA degree from The College of New Rochelle and an Ed. M. degree from Harvard University. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, attorney Philip Miller, and their two children. |
