The Walt Disney Company announced that advertisers committed to buy US$9 billion in commercials across its various channels and streaming platforms for the 2022-2023 season. With that figure, this season becomes the strongest in the company’s history, which stated that about 40% of spending is going to its online offerings, including Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.
Sports also played a big role in securing a record number of dollars for The Walt Disney Company. The company said it saw double-digit increases in sports volume and pricing for the second year in a row. In fact, during the first half of this year, ESPN has picked up rights to the National Football League (NFL), Wimbledon and the Australian Open, while renewing its rights for the English FA Cup. Its streaming service ESPN+ is also in the running for the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket.
“Disney Advertising entered our 2022-2023 upfront committed to executing on our strategic priorities – streaming, multicultural and inclusion, sports and entertainment – and we delivered. I am proud to partner with all of our clients to reach audiences at scale across all screens, and alongside the most premium content,” said Rita Ferro, President of Ad Sales for Disney Media and Entertainment.
During its presentation, the group also indicated that it secured substantial diversity, equity and inclusion ad commitments. The strongest categories included financial services, media and entertainment, travel, pharmaceuticals, and sports gaming.
Disney is not the only network to have experienced record-breaking success during this year's Upfront, as advertisers are raising the amount of money they are committing to television. For instance, NBCUniversal brought in more than US$7 billion this year, with about US$1 billion going to its streaming service Peacock.