Disney Has Its Best Upfront, 40% Of Monies Earmarked For Streamers

Walt Disney’s Disney Advertiser Sales joined the rush of other TV network groups in announcing the quick and strong completion of its upfront advertising deal-making for the 2021-2020 TV season.

It includes sharply higher upfront revenue share going to streaming and digital business.

Disney has seen over 40% of its total TV upfront advertising revenue commitments going to streaming and digital platforms, according to media executives. Some of Disney’s major premium digital platforms include Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.

Disney has secured around $2 billion for its traditional upfront deal-making for its ABC Television Network. Overall, media executives say, many TV networks have been seeing total upfront ad volume dollar gains of 5% to 10%.

Before the upfront started to churn, in April, media agency executives told Television News Daily that networks were asking for or demanding a 20% to 30% shift in their traditional TV upfront budgets to streaming and digital platforms.

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Disney’s TV/streaming channels -- including ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX, Hulu and National Geographic -- posted high double-digit advertising gains in cost-per-thousand viewer (CPM) prices, including major sporting franchises -- the NFL as well as college football and the NBA.

Boosted by a strong, resurgent national TV marketplace that began to recover earlier this year, networks are touting CPM pricing gains of 20% or more over last year’s upfront marketplace, as well as overall greater upfront volume dollar gains.

According to media executives, strongly performing ad categories for Disney include consumer-package-good companies, financial services, media/entertainment, pharmaceutical, retail, technology and telecommunications and travel and leisure.

Like NBCUniversal earlier in the day, media executives say Disney closed its strongest upfront deal-making in history.

An ABC representative would not comment about upfront activities to Television News Daily.

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