The Oscars haven’t sold out yet, but Disney is moving closer to that milestone.
“We are definitely pacing ahead of where we were last year,” says Rita Ferro, president of global advertising sales for Walt Disney Co., during a recent interview. “We have 11 new clients in the main show.” Disney’s ABC will telecast the glitzy awards program on Sunday, March 15, and typically declares sell-out closer to the event date.
Last year’s Oscars aired on ABC and streamed on Hulu, and included broader sponsorship packages backed by L’Oreal and Eli Lilly, and advertisers including Wingstop and GSK. Disney in recent years has sought between $1.7 million and $2.2 million for a 30-second ad in the event. The executive says Disney typically sees interest in the Oscars spike at the turn of the year and then right after the Super Bowl. Last year’s Oscars telecast lured an average of 19.7 million viewers, marking a 1% boost over 2024’s crowd.
Ferro said Disney is preparing a schedule for the year ahead that features big tentpole live events tied to sports and culture, and believes demand for the next Oscars bodes well for negotiations in months to come. In 2027, the company will feature its first Grammys telecast under a new rights deal, along with its first Super Bowl broadcast in more than two decades.
“We have a big live year coming,” Ferro says.
She believes advertisers will want to move early to reserve packages that might encompass ESPN’s usual slate of college football championship games which air in January, and the Super Bowl, which airs in February. The Grammys in 2027 are expected to air on ABC and stream on Hulu and Disney+. The company also has rights to “Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve” and the CMA Awards.
Advertisers have grown more interested in live events and sports telecasts in the age of streaming. More people are leaving linear television for streaming, where they can watch their favorite comedies and dramas at times of their own choosing. But that dynamic has created a thorny dilemma for advertisers, who need to reach thousands, even millions of potential consumers with commercials if their ad dollars are to be spent efficiently. And while sports remain, perhaps, the last programming format that continues to bring in large audiences reliably, there is new hope that live specials and events can do the same.
As a result, more TV networks are turning to bespoke events that need to be watched as they happen or else be spoiled for those who miss out. NBCUniversal pitched advertisers on participation in the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” last season and is working on a 100th anniversary celebration of the NBC broadcast network.
“Anything that is live is really monetizing nicely,” says Ferro.
Disney aims to help advertisers get an early start on sports buying on March 24, when it will hold a special sports-focused presentation that will give potential clients an early look at the company’s plans ahead of the kickoff to the TV industry’s annual “upfront” sales market in May. “Demand for sports continues and there are new games, and new opportunities,” says Ferro.
