Rich Ross is President, Disney Channels 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 67 channels and/or feeds around the world, including 27 Disney Channels, nine Toon Disney channels, 10 Playhouse Disney channels and 19 Jetix channels, which in total reach more than 600 million viewers in over 100 countries in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Latin America and South Africa. The group's multiplatform strategy includes subscription video-on-demand and content-rich broadband websites Jetix.tv and DisneyChannel.com -- which ranks as the #1 kids entertainment website among Kids 6-14. Ross also has responsibility for Radio Disney which, over the past decade, has set the radio industry standard for kid and family content.
Prior to his current global role, Ross was Disney Channel President, Entertainment from 2002-04, General Manager and Executive Vice President, Programming and Production from 1999-2002, and Senior Vice President, Programming and Production from 1996-99.
His leadership has elevated Disney Channels all around the world, most notably Disney Channel U.S., which has been among the top five highest-rated networks in basic cable and the #1 primetime television destination for Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 for the past three years. Under his auspices are Disney Channels Worldwide's critically acclaimed learning-based programming block for preschoolers, Playhouse Disney, and its extension, PlayhouseDisney.com. The brand is the centerpiece for a Walt Disney Company-wide initiative to introduce preschoolers to Disney characters, programs and products through learning-based entertainment. Among Playhouse Disney's hit programs are "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," which helps preschoolers with early math skills, "My Friends Tigger & Pooh," which encourages reflective thinking, "Little Einsteins," designed to expose young viewers to music, art and nature, and "Handy Manny" which explores aspects of Latin tradition and models understanding of, and tolerance for, different cultures.
In addition, Ross directed the development of the highly-successful original programming block for kids age 6-14, which has delivered global hit series including "Hannah Montana," "Wizards of Waverly Place," "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," "That's So Raven," "Disney's Kim Possible," "The Proud Family," "Lizzie McGuire" and "Even Stevens."
Ross built the hugely successful Disney Channel Original Movie franchise, which includes the international smash hit "High School Musical." Its sequel, "High School Musical 2," is the highest rated telecast in the history of cable television, posting 18.6 million total viewers. Also counted in the DCOM franchise are basic cable TV's #1 movies among Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 for the past five years -- "Cadet Kelly," "The Cheetah Girls," "Halloweentown High," "Twitches" and "The Cheetah Girls 2" -- as well as the Humanitas Prize-winning "Miracle in Lane 2" and "The Color of Friendship."
Disney Channels Worldwide's programming extends into other lines of business for The Walt Disney Company, including the double-Platinum-selling "Hannah Montana" soundtrack, which made history as the first TV soundtrack to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, and the quadruple-Platinum-selling "High School Musical" soundtrack, which was the #1 album of the 2006 in the U.S. "High School Musical" also made history as the first TV movie soundtrack to reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart and by entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart with an unprecedented nine songs. And it's setting sales records around the world: It reached #1 on DVD and stands as the industry's fastest-selling TV movie in the DVD marketplace. In addition it generated a bestselling junior novel.
Throughout his career, Ross has held senior level positions in all facets of cable television. Prior to his tenure at Disney Channels Worldwide, 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 is 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, and was a 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," and he served as executive producer of Nickelodeon's "Kids' Choice Awards," the first televised kid-voted award show.
Ross is a member of the Board of Directors for Hollywood Radio Television Society (HRTS) 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.
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, Ross received
his J.D. degree from New York's Fordham University in 1986. He is based in Burbank, California, at the headquarters of Disney Channels Worldwide.