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Rich Ross is president, Disney Channel Worldwide, which is part of the Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company. He was promoted to this role in April 2004.
Ross manages the Company’s successful and burgeoning global kids’ TV business, a total of 59 channel feeds around the world: 24 Disney Channels, nine Toon Disney channels, eight Playhouse Disney channels and 18 Jetix channels. Its multiplatform strategy includes subscription video-on-demand and content-rich broadband websites Jetix.tv and DisneyChannel.com, which ranks as the no. 1 kids entertainment website among Kids 2-17.
Prior to his current global role, Ross was president, Entertainment, Disney Channel, overseeing all programming, production and marketing for Disney Channel, a leading U.S. basic cable television network designed for kids and families. It currently reaches over 87 million subscribers. Additionally, he oversaw management of Jetix, the kids’ action/adventure programming block featuring the Power Rangers franchise. In the U.S., Jetix is seen on Toon Disney, a basic cable channel with over 51 million subscribers.
From August 1999 to January 2002, Ross was general manager and executive vice president, Programming and Production, Disney Channel. He joined Disney Channel in September 1996 as senior vice president, Programming and Production.
His leadership has elevated Disney Channel U.S. to one of the top five highest rated networks in basic cable and the no. 1 primetime television destination for kids and tweens.
Ross oversaw the creation of Disney Channel’s critically acclaimed learning-based programming block for preschoolers, Playhouse Disney, and its extension, PlayhouseDisney.com. The brand has since become the centerpiece for a Walt Disney Company-wide initiative to introduce preschoolers to Disney characters, programs and products through learning-based entertainment. Among the hit animated Playhouse Disney programs are Little Einsteins, designed to expose young viewers to music, art and nature, JoJo’s Circus, TV’s first movement-focused series, and Higglytown Heroes, an imaginative, song-filled series.
In addition, Ross directed the development of the highly-successful original programming block for older kids age 6-14, including Lizzie McGuire (which inspired a Walt Disney Pictures feature film, platinum soundtracks, consumer products and a successful book franchise); basic cable’s no. 1 series with Tweens 9-14, That’s So Raven, an acclaimed sitcom that has now turned into a global franchise; the animated comedies Disney’s Kim Possible and The Proud Family; as well as the highly rated and critically acclaimed Disney Channel Original Movie franchise,
which includes the Humanitas Prize-winning Miracle in Lane 2, The Color of Friendship and basic cable’s no. 1 movies among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 for 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 -- Cadet Kelly,The Cheetah Girls,Halloweentown High and Twitches, respectively.
The most recent Disney Channel Original Movie smash hit is the 2006 premiere of High School Musical, which delivered 7.7 million Total Viewers and ranks as Disney Channel’s highest-rated original movie ever in Households (5.0 million). Its soundtrack also made history on the Billboard charts when an unprecedented nine songs entered Billboard’s Hot 100, with five in the Top 40.
Throughout his career, Ross has held senior level positions in all facets of cable television. Prior to his tenure at Disney Channel, he was senior vice president, Development and Production for FX Networks, from 1993-96, where he was a member of the executive team that launched the cable network. Among his accomplishments there was the critically acclaimed Breakfast Time, which eventually migrated to the Fox broadcast network.
Before joining FX Networks, Ross was at Nickelodeon from 1986-93, where he most recently served as vice president of Program Enterprises and was involved in all original-programming deals, including those for co-production. In addition, he launched Nick News with Linda Ellerbee into syndication, Nickelodeon’s first syndication success. He was also part of the launch team for Nickelodeon’s first international network, Nickelodeon UK.
Ross also built the Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite talent relations department, overseeing network casting and talent booking, which included Nick hits such as Clarissa Explains It All and Hey Dude. In addition he served as executive producer of Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards, the first televised kid-voted awards show.
He is a member of the Board of Directors for Hollywood Radio Television Society and Cable in the Classroom, an organization that represents the cable telecommunications industry’s commitment to education -- to improve teaching and learning for children in schools, at home and in their communities.
Ross is a native of New York and a 1983 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and English. He received his J.D. degree from New York’s Fordham University in 1986. Based in the Burbank, California, headquarters of Disney ABC Cable Networks Group, Ross resides in Los Angeles. |
