Live Sports Help Disney Secure $9B in Ad Sales

Despite mounting concerns of an economic recession, Walt Disney Co. announced its strongest upfront ever, securing $9 billion in advertising commitments for 2022-23.

Sponsor interest in live sports helped drive Disney’s advertising’s record results across ESPN, ESPN+, ABC, and other networks. 

The addition of more women’s sporting events sparked increases in ad volume and pricing, according to the entertainment giant.

• For the second year in a row, Disney posted double digits in sports volume and pricing. 
• 40% of the upfront dollars committed this year will go to streaming and digital properties such as ESPN+, Disney+, and Hulu.
• Big spending categories include: sports gaming, financial services, pharmaceuticals, and travel and leisure.

‘Strongest Upfront Ever’

Heading into this spring’s upfront season, Disney’s strategic priorities included sports and entertainment, streaming, multiculturalism, and inclusion.

“We delivered,” said Rita Ferro, president of advertising sales for Disney Media and Entertainment. “This marks a historic close to our strongest upfront ever, totaling $9 billion.”

Meanwhile, ESPN posted its best second-quarter viewership in prime time since 2014. Driven by live coverage of the NBA and NHL playoffs, prime-time viewership rose 22% to an average of 1.64 million viewers, while viewership for the NBA, NHL, Formula 1, WNBA, baseball, college softball, and lacrosse all rose.