CES: Live Blogging With Disney/ABC’s Anne Sweeney

I’m back at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater, where Anne Sweeney, head of Disney’s (DIS) ABC Television networks is about to take to the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show. Consumer Electronics Assocation head Gary Shapiro comes on stage to introduce Sweeney. He plays a video showing snippets of ABC shows (Ugly Betty, etc.) 2:59: Just three years ago, were still debating the wisdom of putting video content on other platforms. Now it feels as if it’s always existed. Time-shifting and mobile viewing are now a part of popular culture and consumer expectations. Consumers have got to be top priority because we’re following them into the future. The decision to sell stuff on iTunes upset people, but moved forward anyway. The introduction of the ABC player showed people will watch ads in return for free content. Number of episodes on iTunes in the tens of millions. And in the ad-supported player in the 100s of millions. Both models are successful. 2:56: Disney was a strong supporter early on of ... (link)