Top ad-sales executives in the advanced advertising realm at CBS and at Disney said that though their companies have taken different paths toward extending their reach to consumers, they share the aim of finding the best ways to pay for the premium content consumers demand.

“What’s not going to change is the appetite for premium content,” Laura Nathanson, executive VP of revenue and operations at Disney Advertising Sales, said during a Thursday morning session at Advanced Advertising. What will continue to change is how consumers find and watch that content, and how media providers either get consumers to pay for it directly (such as via the ESPN+ app) or indirectly via advertising. She noted that Disney had undergone corporate reorganizations, including a major one this past spring, to be in position to respond to direct-to-consumer opportunities.

Getting ads to be more directly targeted to consumers was a focus during the session for Dave Morris, EVP of advanced advertising and client partnerships at CBS. Speaking to panel moderator Shane Peros of Google, Morris said that when CBS opted not to invest in Hulu that charted a path toward targeting consumers directly with apps including CBS All Access, CBSN, CBS Sports HQ and the new DTC extension of Entertainment Tonight.

Morris said CBS has reams of data on users of CBS web sites and apps but little to no information about 48 million people who watch CBS over-the-air programming daily. He said CBS is not in the ad-tech business so it’s looking for partners to make that kind of targeted advertising possible. 

“We need partners to help us do a better job to marry reach to relevance and move the ball forward,” Morris said, name checking not only Google as a prospective ally but also AT&T’s Xandr unit, Comcast’s FreeWheel, programmatic-ad vendor Clypd and the OpenAP advanced-ads consortium (backed by NBCUniversal, Viacom, Fox and Turner).

Saying Google, Facebook and Amazon can serve up relevant ads to all, Morris said, “Once we can move over and marry reach to relevance we will compete with the behemoths in digital, full stop.”

Nathanson noted that Disney did move toward direct-to-consumer by investing in BAMTech, which led to ESPN+, but said Disney is still in early stages of “figuring out we how we can be one storefront to our advertisers” with “one ad tech stack” to deal with advertisers and agencies.

Advanced Advertising and Next TV Summit, also taking place today (Nov. 1), are part of the sixth annual NYC Television Week. (Pictured, from left: Shane Peros, Laura Nathanson and Dave Morris.)

This story was updated to correct Laura Nathanson's title and that she spoke about using "one ad tech stack" not "one ad tech staff."

Disney/ABC Television Group has named former gaming executive Martin Keely executive vice president of product and technology. He will report to DATG’s president, business operations, Bruce Rosenblum.

Keely will oversee all aspects of Disney/ABC’s digital media strategy and products across platforms and will collaborate with the group’s leadership on existing products and developing new ones. In addition Keely will work closely with affiliates, ad sales, marketing and content teams and will oversee DATG’s digital backbone and infrastructure.

“Martin has a proven track record of building and operating profitable digital businesses, directing creative and technical teams and strategically growing partnerships,” Rosenblum said in a statement. “His mission at Disney|ABC will be to more precisely define and execute plans to monetize both new and existing content, as well as to harness the power of our strong portfolio into a more unified and holistic consumer experience.”

Keely has more than 20 years experience in digital media, most recently serviing as head of Operations for Activision Blizzard’s Major League Gaming, where he was responsible for building and running the company’s esports media networks.

Prior to joining MLG, he served as general manager at Fullscreen Media, a global leader in social entertainment. Before that, he spent 14 years at Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM), the league’s digital development group, beginning as a producer and rising to the position of senior vice president of Partner Solutions where he was responsible for leading the business’ partnership operations and strategy.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to join the great team at Disney|ABC, especially given their long history of digital innovation and incredibly strong brands,” Keely said in a statement. “There is an unprecedented opportunity for creating new product experiences and driving revenue growth in digital video. I look forward to contributing my knowledge and relationships to further innovate and evolve the business at Disney/ABC.”

Mike Napodano was named senior vice president and chief technology officer for Disney | ABC Television Group.

Napodano, who had been president and co-managing partner at Channel Media Solutions, will oversee the group’s long-term technology strategy and implementation. He will also be responsible for media operations and distribution, network operations and engineering, IT strategy and operation, and an integrated platform that will use consumer data to create business insights.

He will report to Bruce Rosenblum, president, business operations.

“Mike’s proven leadership and ability to work across multiple platforms have led to new innovative technologies that are being leveraged by our industry every day,” Rosenblum said. “Disney | ABC will benefit greatly from his fresh perspective, forward thinking and technical expertise as the media industry continues to embrace advancements in the digital space.”

Before Channel Media Solutions, Napadano was with NBCUniversal for 13 years in roles including chief information officer. Previously, he was with U.S. Wireless Data and Phoenix Investment Partners.

“Disney | ABC has long been a leader in the technology space and has made pivotal contributions over the years,” Napodano said. “The rapidly changing landscape of both consumer habits and technology create great opportunities to innovate.”

The Disney|ABC Television Group has expanded its streaming presence through the launch of a handful of authenticated apps for Google’s Android TV platform.

RELATED: Why TV Is Going to the Apps

Apps from ABC, Freeform, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD are now available on a range of Android TV-powered devices,  including certain Sony Bravia HD and 4K TVs, Sharp Aquos TVs, and Philips- and RCA-made smart TVs, as well as the Google Nexus Player, Nvidia Shield, Razer Forge TV, and the new Xiaomi Mi Box.

RELATED: Xiaomi’s 4K-Capable ‘Mi Box’ Reaches U.S.

The apps enable streaming of full episodes of shows such as ABC’s Designated Survivor, Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars, Disney Channel’s K.C. Undercover, and Disney XD’s Star Wars Rebels, as well as network live feeds for customers that subscribe to a pay TV service with TV Everywhere rights.

RELATED: CES 2016: Android TV Spreads its Wings

The Disney|ABC Television Group has TVE deals with several MVPDs, including Comcast, Cablevision Systems (Altice USA), Cox Communications, Charter Communications, DirecTV/AT&T, Dish Network, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, and Google Fiber, among others. 

Skarpi Hedinsson has been promoted to chief technology officer at Disney/ABC Television Group.

Hedinsson, who had been senior VP, technology & platform, digital media at Disney/ABC Television Group, will be responsible for implementing advanced technology strategies and solutions for consumer and business facing products and services.

He will report to John Frelinghuysen, who recently joined Disney/ABC from AOL, and will work closely with Renu Thomas, who this week was appointed executive VP, media operations, engineering and IT.

Read more at B&C. 

Disney is officially letting blockbuster Frozen go onto television. 

The animated movie, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2014, will premiere on all Disney ABC Television Group networks starting February 2016. 

It will appear on the Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, ABC Family and ABC.