Anne Sweeney: Guiding A Big Company’s Future

Anne Sweeney is the co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television Group. She heads an organization that covers a broad area of media.  She leads the Disney Channels Worldwide. This is 94 children-focused, family entertainment channels. It includes among others Disney Channel, Playhouse Disney, Radio Disney brands, and Hyperion, Disney’s publishing imprint.  On the ABC side Sweeney heads ABC Owned Television Stations Group, ABC Studios, and the ABC Television Network. Under her are more than 200 affiliated stations all over America that offers children programming, entertainment and news. There are around 10,000 employees under her.

Among Sweeney’s more recent accomplishments includes getting into a partnership with Yahoo!; the Disney Television Group’s first international millennial channel, Canada’s ABC Spark; the first on-demand entertainment service in the U.K., Germany, and Portugal, ABC On Demand; and she was also able to sign Katie Couric to ABC through a nationally syndicated talk show that was already initially sold to over 80 percent of U.S. TV homes.

Sweeney has become known for producing outstanding results in her job. During her more direct handling of the Disney channel from October 2000 to 2004, she pushed through with the strategy initiated by her predecessor using a combination of movies, original series and acquired programs which saw subscriber base quintuple.  The channel is now available on cable in more than 87 million U.S. homes.

In April 1998 she directed the launch of Toon Disney the 24-hour animation channel which now reaches more than 52 million U.S. households. She oversaw the launch of the 24-hour soap opera network SOAPnet which is being viewed in more than 61 million households.

Sweeney worked for 12 years at Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, her last position as senior vice president of Program Enterprises. While at Nickelodeon she handled its overseas expansion including a joint venture with British Sky Broadcasting.  From 1993 she was the chairman and CEO FX Networks, Inc.  where she was very successful in launching basic cable networks.

She joined The Walt Disney Company in February 1996 and continued with her achieving ways. Sweeney has made significant contributions in the various organizations that she has worked for. She is also active outside of work in organizations like the Special Olympics.