May 7, 2025
(Sports Business Journal)
–
Disney
“touted a robust sports slate” for its TV upfront event last year that included the
NFL
, college football and the
WNBA
, but this year’s goal “is simple: outdo it all,” according to
Bill Bradley
of
ADWEEK
. Ahead of the company’s upfront presentation on
May 13
,
Disney
President of Global Advertising
Rita Ferro
spoke about their upcoming offerings and “addressed the current market uncertainty brought on by tariffs,” while explaining what the company “has in mind for
Super Bowl
61.” Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: You have the
Super Bowl
coming in 2027. Have talks already started there?
Ferro: We have over 67 multiyear deals that are mostly anchored in football, and so many of those are coming up now, and clients want to have the opportunity to tie in what they’re doing in that space to be a part of the
Super Bowl
. Those conversations have been happening for a while now. It’s also an event that’s going to be happening in
Los Angeles
, which is our home. … There are a lot of conversations around how
the Walt Disney Company
takes over and shows up for the
Super Bowl
in a way that will be representative of not only everything
ESPN
does and
ABC
does and all of our news and information shows do, but how does
the Walt Disney Company
show up? … We’re going to have a surround coverage that I think the
Super Bowl
has never experienced.
Q: What are the live sports tentpoles you’re excited to share with advertisers?
Ferro: Our college football portfolio of sports rights this year is outstanding. The new format for the College Football Championship, the
SEC
coming to
ESPN
and
ABC
, the ACC and the growth of that conference, all of college football is a tremendous driver of multiyear partnerships with brands. We continue to have an incredible opportunity around the
NFL
together with college football. … We have the NBA deal. … We have everything except one round of the playoffs on
ESPN
,
ABC
, and we exclusively have the NBA Finals. … In addition, we will now have Inside the NBA. Wgot a renewed deal with the
WNBA
. Sixty-five percent of all live women’s sports hours sit across our platform. And that is a massive growth opportunity for us.
Q: What can you say about the
ESPN
flagship streamer coming later this year?
Ferro: That will be the place for fans to come to experience not only all 100% of all of their live sports and network coverage, but sports betting, sports fantasy, social sharing, clips, the best of talent and everything they’re doing, all in one place with personalization that they’ve never had before.
Q: How is
Disney
approaching brands amid the current uncertainty regarding tariffs?
Ferro: We want to make sure that for the brands that want to take advantage of these moments ... that they have the most opportunity, whether that’s through live sports, streaming, big campaigns, small campaigns, integration, second screen experiences, different types of advertising formats. We’ve seen it time and time again in times of challenged marketplaces, that’s a moment where people go back to their tried and true partners (
ADWEEK
, 5/6).
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