The Oscars are sold out.
The Walt Disney Co. said Sunday’s broadcast of the 98th Academy Awards has officially sold out ad inventory, marking a major milestone in advancing the company’s live event programming.
Sponsors related to the media business include streaming service Peacock, Disney Cruise Line and Microsoft, with other sponsors including Starbucks, Rolex and first-time advertiser Burger King.
Advertising rates are said to have grown by double digits over last year, with the company also adding around 24 new sponsors, along with 18 returning sponsors.
The Oscars are the most-watched prime-time entertainment program in the country (the only programs that tend to be are football, major political news, or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade), making it a valuable opportunity for major brands. The value of the 32nd spots for last year’s event ranged between $1.7 million and $2.3 million
“The Oscars are one of our most important live event specials and tentpoles as part of our overall live programming, which is a core component of The Walt Disney Company from a programming standpoint, but more importantly, a business driver for our clients,” says John Campbell, senior vice president, entertainment and streaming solutions, Disney Advertising. “The good news is that there have been four straight years of increases in viewership, and the Oscars remain the No. 1 prime-time entertainment show. For this year’s Oscars, when we look at the trends, demand started almost immediately after last year’s awards ceremony and went to the forefront, as we saw more units sold than in previous years.”
In fact, Disney says this year’s Academy Awards is its sixth straight live event to sell out, including last year’s Academy Awards, CMA Awards, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.
Campbell says brands are also increasingly looking for ways to do more than just a 30-second ad, with some brands set to integrate into the program in clever ways, and others seeking partnerships on places like Hulu and Disney+, where they can sponsor collections of titles, or on red carpet coverage on TV, streaming, or social media platforms like TikTok.
“That’s what we’re hearing from CMOs: they want content and intellectual property alignment,” Campbell says. “They want to maximize these cultural moments, they want to create deeper connections with these live events and make sure they are successful.”
This is reflected in what Disney calls “proud” and “silver” sponsors, who have access to use Oscars intellectual property in larger brand integrations. Rolex and Burger King are this year’s proud sponsors, with Campbell saying live streaming revenue was up 76 percent, with social revenue up 46 percent year-on-year.
The Oscars will also kick off what’s set to be a big year for Disney in live events, including the College Football Playoff National Championship, next year’s Super Bowl, the 99th Academy Awards and the company’s first-ever broadcast of the Grammy Awards.
“What we’re really excited about is that we’re actually in the rooms with the brand partners, thinking about what that looks like, what those creative messaging looks like,” Campbell says. “Are there leads that we can connect to brands? What are some exciting pieces of work that we might be able to work on within the eight-week time frame? So getting ahead of these live specials is really important, especially when they want meaningful integrations with brands.”
