Disney Says Upfront Sales Were Up 5% to Record Levels

The Walt Disney Co. said it has completed its upfront advertising sales, generating record commitments with sports and streaming, in particular, showing growth.

Overall dollar volume was up 5% from last year, with more than 40% of upfront commitments going towards addressable inventory, including streaming and digital.

Disney Advertising said it benefited from the expansion of ad-supported Disney Plus , as well as from women’s sports sponsorships, multicultural partnerships and investments from independent buying agencies.

Streaming and sports were both up by double digits, the company said.

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“Disney’s unrivaled storytelling paired with our unparalleled ad technology and data capabilities delivers the outcomes our partners continue to push us on, and we continue to raise the bar,” Disney president, global advertising Rita Ferro said. “Our growth in the number of marketers we work with and the increased investments in advertising innovation demonstrates Disney’s differentiator. As we double down on our commitment to world-class storytelling, automation, and new ad products, demonstrating growth for partners underpins our focus for the future.”

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Streaming ad volume was up 10% across Hulu and Disney Plus, the company said. Advertisers took advantage of the Disney Streaming Entertainment package, which offers inventory across the company’s streaming apps.

Data and targeted advertising were in demand from advertisers looking to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their campaigns.

Use of Disney’s first-party data was up 181% from a year ago, with nearly 60% of all data-enabled deals using Disney’s data.

Performance marketing deals were up 19%.

Categories that performed well for the 2024-25 upfront include international auto, beverages, food, personal care; financial services; healthcare and travel — specifically hotels and vacation rentals; and restaurants — led by quick-service restaurants.

Earlier, NBCUniversal and Fox also reported strong upfront results in what was expected to be a difficult market.