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Leading the way in a new era of television: at the helm of the ABC Television Network, Anne Sweeney is affecting change in the way TV content is distributed.

Article Excerpt
Named "Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment" by The Hollywood Reporter, one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" by Fortune, and one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes, Anne Sweeney has a pivotal role in the worm of television.

As co-chair Disney Media Networks and president, Disney/ABC Television Group she is responsible for The Walt Disney Company's television entertainment and news across the globe.

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This includes the ABC Television Network, which provides programming through more than 200 affiliated stations across the country and the 94 Disney channels available in 163 countries. She also oversees cable networks ABC Family and SOAPnet, as well as Disney's publishing imprint, Hyperion and the company's equity interest in Lifetime Entertainment Services and A&E Television Network.

Forging ahead in what she calls a new era in the evolution of media, Disney has sought opportunities to reach out to audiences across new platforms under her leadership.

From the landmark iTunes deal back in 2005 to the decision to stream ad supported shows on the ABC.com player, and most recently on Hulu, Disney has sought to deepen and expand its relationship with viewers, she said.

With the success of shows like "Lost", Grey' s Anatomy", "Desperate Housewives" and "Dancing with the Stars", of which are now available via the Internet, Disney has carved out a reputation for quality content, which the company hopes to continue in the future, she said. This season, ABC is betting on its 8 new comedies and dramas.

As the worm of media evolves, so too must the ways in which viewership is measured across the different plaiforms, she said.

Sweeney recently joined executives from U.S. television content providers, media agencies and advertisers to form the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) in an effort to promote innovation and explore new, high quality ways to measure audiences across traditional...

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