Disney’s new eight-part miniseries that chronicles former tennis player Serena Williams' long career is backed by Morgan Stanley, which “serves as a presenting sponsor of the series," and TJ Maxx and Heineken, which "have come on board as associate sponsors,” according to Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. Disney will launch the docuseries, titled “In The Arena: Serena Williams,” starting on July 10. Morgan Stanley CMO Alice Milligan said that with its sponsorship, the company “sees a chance to throw a bigger spotlight on women’s sports overall.” She added that it “sees an opportunity to show itself as having ‘old school grit’ but ‘new world vision.’” Milligan: “I can’t think of anyone more gritty or visionary than Serena herself.” Between July 10 and August 28, Morgan Stanley will sponsor elements within the ESPN+ series, “including custom vignettes and logo bugs; social posts from ESPN that appear across Instagram and Facebook; and promos for the miniseries” that appear in shows such as “First Take,” “Get Up” and “SportsCenter.” Big sports-media outlets have “given the bulk of their attention to games dominated by male athletes and owners.” As streaming “disrupts the traditional economics of entertainment,” however, some media companies are “putting a new focus on female sports, hoping that these games can draw bigger crowds” (VARIETY, 6/27).
