• by Wayne Friedman , 2 hours ago

Disney Advertising says its 2026-27 TV season upfront advertising selling efforts have been completed -- with total volume up by “double digit” percentages versus last year’s marketplace.

In addition, it has also sold out its “Super Bowl LXI” advertising for the big NFL game, which will air February 2027. Disney’s sellout of the game is one of the earliest ever.

"Our upfront and a sold-out 'Super Bowl LXI' make it clear: brands see Disney as a must-have investment -- one built on our ability to deliver audiences at scale, across live events and streaming, all year long," said Rita Ferro, president of global advertising for Walt Disney.

Disney says its upfront deals came from 58 brands in 34 advertising categories including financial services, candy, personal care, and software.

Disney said Super Bowl ad sales came from one of the "broadest advertiser and category mixes in Super Bowl history," with nine brands in the big game for the first time.

Disney did not disclose other financial specifics for the upfront or Super Bowl efforts.

The news from Disney comes as Paramount Skydance also revealed yesterday that its upfront TV advertising volume also climbed by double-digit percentages for the upcoming 2026-2027 TV season.

TV’s upfront advertising market is where major TV brands commit to placing between 60% and 70% of their national TV advertising for the upcoming TV season where there can be cost savings. Brands have special option periods to cut back on their commitments throughout the year.

Separately, for the just-completed second quarter period, Disney’s company-wide advertising revenue slipped 1% to $1.63 billion, due to lower  advertising unit rates, partially offset by increased impressions. But sports program advertising was up 4.9%.

Looking deeper, streaming platform advertising slowed to a 3% gain from 12% in the same period a year ago. Total streaming revenue business climbed 11% to $5.5 billion.

Company-wide subscription and affiliate fees for its TV networks climbed 12% to $7.5 billion with advertising revenue growing 12%.

Mid-day stock market trading of Disney’s stock was up 2.5% to $100.62.