The Walt Disney Company has sold all of its available advertising inventory on traditional networks ABC and ESPN for Super Bowl LXI, which will take place next February, executives told investors during a conference call on Wednesday.
The sellout was revealed by Disney’s Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston, who said the company secured commitments from 58 brands across 34 categories, including financial services, candy, personal care and software. Nine advertisers are first-time Super Bowl buyers.
The announcement points to a remarkable turnaround from several weeks ago, when advertisers and media buyers raised concerns that Disney was pushing too hard on price: The company had sought as much as $10 million for a 30-second commercial, along with comparable spending commitments for other Disney advertising inventory, according to industry trade reports.
Disney later pulled back on those demands and began selling some 30-second units for between $8 million and $9 million, the reports said.
The company also tested whether it could reshape parts of the Super Bowl sales process: Inventory for the championship National Football League (NFL) game is often tied to incumbent advertisers with longer-term relationships, including brands that receive preferred positions in the game.
But Disney has not offered the Super Bowl on ABC for two decades, so it entered the sales process with fewer prior commitments when compared to its peer broadcast networks like CBS, NBC and Fox. Those three broadcasters have shared telecast rights to the Super Bowl since Disney exited the round in 2006, and all three have been able to lean on their prior relationships with Super Bowl advertisers to drum up interest in future inventory.
Even with those challenges, Disney reached sellout earlier than some recent Super Bowl broadcasters: Last year, NBC Universal sold through its advertising for Super Bowl LX in September, while Fox closed out its advertising in mid-August for Super Bowl LIX one year prior.
ESPN and ABC will air Super Bowl LXI on February 14, 2027. The game will stream on Disney’s various platforms, with a Spanish-language simulcast offered on ESPN Deportes.
