The company says it closed its best upfront in the company’s history, with streaming and live events like sports helping to lead the way.
The company received commitments totaling $9 billion, 40 percent of which was earmarked for digital and streaming. Disney’s upcoming Disney+ ad tier, joined by Hulu and ESPN+, led the streaming ad results.
Disney announced its Disney+ ad tier in March, promising details at a later date. At its upfront in May, the company used the event to highlight the premium content set to come to the streaming service, including Marvel series like She-Hulk, and Dancing With the Stars, which is moving from ABC to Disney+ in the fall. ESPN continues to dominate in the live sports arena, driven by programming like Monday Night Football and live NBA and MLB coverage.
Rita Ferro, president of advertising sales for Disney Media and Entertainment, said in a statement “Disney Advertising entered our 2022-2023 Upfront committed to executing on our strategic priorities – streaming, multicultural and inclusion, sports and entertainment – and we delivered,” “This marks a historic close to our strongest Upfront ever, totaling $9 billion. I am proud to partner with all of our clients to reach audiences at scale across all screens, and alongside the most premium content.”
The company also said that it secured “substantial” diversity, equity and inclusion ad commitments. The strongest categories included financial services, media and entertainment, travel, pharmaceuticals, and sports gaming.
