Ed Ludlow

We saw that social media platforms are taking over not only viewership, but total ad dollars this year.

There is a huge shift into the creator economy.

And if you're just focused on how do we put these two companies together versus the competition that is outpacing you with TikTok and YouTube and others, you're going to be further behind by the time you complete this transaction.

And we haven't even discussed AI yet.

That's right.

And you think about the big deal that was announced between Sora, so Disney, and OpenAI at the tail end of last year.

What is my viewing experience going to be like going forward?

When I turn on Disney+, what does it look like as a screen?

So I think this is going to be the biggest piece of innovation we see in 2026.

So AI for the last year has been about doing discrete projects.

How do I create a vertical video?

How do I think about leveraging it to help improve the algorithm?

But what we've really got to be focusing on today, right, is how do we think about the entire ecosystem?

I'm playing in multiple universes.

What is that consumer experience like?

I believe this year, instead of when you download the app and you hit a wall that says pay now, you'll see in the future people pushing short form content as a way to discover, as a way to engage consumers, a new way to engage a conversation.

That data from there begins to inform how I get a cold start.

So how do I, when I first go into that experience, how is it customized for me, right?

How do I ensure that I'm going to be able to retain that consumer?

then all those interactions over time also become part of this greater ecosystem that says, now I know what to serve you, how to engage you, how to retain you, and how to reach you on other platforms.