Disney has had the most successful upfronts to date, drawing in $9 billion in advertising commitments. Disney attributed both streaming and live events, including sports, to the success of the upfront. Disney shared that 40% of the commitments were earmarked for digital and streaming. The upcoming Disney+ ad tier, Hulu, and ESPN+ led the streaming ad results.
Disney’s ad-supported tier for Disney+ was announced in March. An exact rollout date has not been announced. Specific details about the tier have been promised to be released at a later date. Disney used the upfronts to highlight the upcoming Marvel series She-Hulk and also Dancing with the Stars, which is moving from ABC to Disney+ this fall.
ESPN also continues to show strength with live sporting events. This includes Monday Night Football and coverage of MLB and NBA. Sports continue to be in strong demand for marketers.
“Disney Advertising entered our 2022-2023 Upfront committed to executing on our strategic priorities – streaming, multicultural and inclusion, sports and entertainment – and we delivered,” said Rita Ferro, president of advertising sales for Disney Media and Entertainment, in a statement. “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.”
Disney also shared that it had secured “substantial” diversity, equity and inclusion ad commitments. The strongest categories were in the realms of financial services, media and entertainment, travel, pharmaceuticals, and sports gaming.
