Specialist, Programmatic Media - ESPN

The Walt Disney Company; New York (NY); On-site; USD 77,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company is seeking a Specialist, Programmatic Media (ESPN) to drive paid acquisition and performance marketing for ESPN's DTC offerings and the Disney Bundle. You will help plan, activate, and optimize programmatic campaigns across display, video, and other formats with a focus on subscriber growth and efficiency.

The role collaborates with Brand Marketing, Creative, and external media partners, supporting live sports moments and audience testing while delivering measurable

Qualifications

• 2+ years of programmatic experience.
• Direct response experience required.
• Hands-on with DV360 and/or Yahoo DSP.
• Familiar with programmatic buying, audience creation and optimization.
• Knowledge of CM, Adobe Analytics and Kochava tracking tools.
• Ability to make data-driven decisions to improve performance.
• Strong communicator in a fast-paced environment.
• Passion for sports and entertainment.

Responsibilities

• Support programmatic and digital media growth strategies for ESPN DTC subscriber growth.
• Contribute to media strategy within programmatic and digital channels.
• Execute campaigns around live sports to meet direct response goals.
• Monitor performance, optimize budgets, report insights.
• Test new programmatic opportunities and partner with DSPs/publishers.
• Collaborate with cross-channel teams to align performance trends.
• Coordinate with agencies to meet deadlines.
• Support live sports events with large-scale activation.

Skills

Programmatic advertising

Direct response

DV360 / Yahoo DSP

Campaign management

Analytics tools (CM, Adobe, Kochava)

Data-driven decisions

Cross-functional coordination

Sports enthusiasm

Tools

DV360

Yahoo DSP

Campaign Manager

Adobe Analytics

Kochava

Job description

Job ID 10163191 Location New York, New York, United States Business The Walt Disney Company (Corporate) Date posted Oct. 26, 2026

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world‑class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

The Growth Marketing team is tasked with driving new subscriber acquisition & driving Disney Streaming’s profitability business objectives for ESPN DTC and The Disney Bundle. The team is responsible for the planning, execution, and optimization of user acquisition and performance marketing campaigns. The ideal candidate has a passion for the digital media landscape and understands the intricacies and unique attributes of every step in the marketing funnel. The successful candidate will bring a highly analytical, creative, and flexible growth mindset to the role, which will be critical to deliver breakthrough thinking for this channel.

We are seeking a collaborative and results‑driven Specialist, Programmatic Media (ESPN) to support paid acquisition and performance marketing initiatives for ESPN's Direct‑to‑Consumer (DTC) business, including ESPN DTC, bundle, and sport‑specific add‑on offerings. Reporting to the Manager, Paid Media (ESPN), this role will help execute Programmatic media strategies that drive subscriber growth across ESPN's streaming products while ensuring campaigns are delivered efficiently and effectively.

The Specialist will support day‑to‑day campaign planning, activation, optimization, and performance analysis of Programmatic media, partnering closely with cross‑functional teams including Brand Marketing, Awareness Marketing, Creative, and external media partners. This role will support campaign execution around key live sports moments, identify optimization opportunities, and share performance insights with the team to support acquisition efficiency and business outcomes.

What Sets This Role Apart

• Opportunity to shape the growth strategy for one of the world’s most iconic sports brands.
• Contribute to subscriber growth for ESPN’s streaming products.
• Gain exposure to a unique blend of performance marketing, innovation, and live sports activation.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Support team in executing, and optimizing both programmatic and digital media growth strategies to drive ESPN DTC subscriber acquisition, conversion & efficiency
• Contribute to media strategy and help manage a portfolio within existing programmatic and digital channels (i.e. display, native, video, audio, etc.)
• Execute campaign and optimization strategies for programmatic and/or digital media campaigns around live sports to meet or exceed strict direct response goals
• Monitor campaign performance and pacing, identify opportunities for budget optimization, and share findings with the team to support apositive return on marketing spend
• Research, evaluate, and test new programmatic and/or digital media opportunities that will move the business forward from a direct response perspective
• Support day‑to‑day relationships with DSPs, publishers with Auction capabilities, SSPs, and data partners
• Support the development and testing of new audience segments, including retargeting, lookalikes, custom audiences, etc., ensuring documented results
• Collaborate cross‑channel, with larger marketing teams, to align on performance trends to ensure holistic team success
• Coordinate with agency counterparts on day‑to‑day tasks, helping ensure work is distributed appropriately to meet team deadlines
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced and dynamic working environment, supporting live sports & key tentpole events with a proven large‑scale media property

Minimum Qualifications:

• 2+ years of programmatic experience
• Direct response experience a must
• Hands‑on keyboard executional experience in Google’s Display & Video 360 and/or Yahoo DSP required
• Comprehensive in‑platform knowledge of programmatic buying, audience creation, campaign management and in‑dash optimization techniques
• Strong understanding of 3rd party tracking, serving, and attribution technologies, primarily Google’s Campaign Manager, Adobe Analytics, and Kochava
• Ability to strategically assess new opportunities and make data driven decisions resulting in tangible improvements in performance
• Flexibility & ability to work in a fast paced and dynamic environment
• A strong communicator with a can‑do, positive attitude and a strong desire to get things done
• Passion for sports, sense of humor and desire to have fun

Preferred Qualifications:

• Media agency experience
• Background in sports, media, entertainment and/or streaming ecosystems

Disclaimer

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in New York, NY is $76,600 to $102,700 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.

• A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

This position is withDisney Entertainment Operations LLC, which is part of a business we callThe Walt Disney Company (Corporate).

Disney Entertainment Operations LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs (opens in new window) . We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

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