Disney Advertising Sales said it has sold out all of the advertising inventory in ESPN’s upcoming docuseries about former Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter called The Captain.
Capital One will be the presenting sponsors of The Captain, which won’t run for several months. American Family Insurance and T-Mobile have signed up as associate sponsors.
“We’ve found that ESPN’s original content is extremely attractive to sponsors,” said Sean Hanrahan, senior VP, Disney Advertising Sports Brand Solutions. “Across both digital and linear, brands have been able to successfully develop cool and innovative ways to connect with consumers through our original content offerings.”
Capital One will sponsor a digital live after show that will air after each episode's premiere, in addition to having custom sponsored features that will be integrated within episodes of The Captain. The credit card company will also promote the show across MLB programming on Disney networks including Sunday Night Baseball and Baseball Tonight, as well as sponsored segments for SportsCenter.
“We’re thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of The Captain and to take the lead in celebrating such a legendary player in Derek Jeter,” said Roger Ferguson, managing VP, sponsorship at Capital One. “This sponsorship also allows us to amplify our position as the official Bank and Credit Card Partner of Major League Baseball and further support the passions of our customers.”
American Family Insurance collaborated with Disney CreativeWorks to develop custom content that will air during each episode of the series and live on social media and across ESPN linear properties. The spot, entitled Grati2ude, will showcase Jeter thanking some of the important people in his life.
“As a challenger brand, we are always looking for creative ways to engage the hearts and minds of consumers and encourage them to insure carefully as they dream fearlessly," said Sherina Smith, CMO of American Family Insurance and Main Street America. “Since 2016, American Family Insurance has partnered with Derek Jeter in his commitment to protecting the pursuit of dreams and empowering the community. We are confident that the original branded content and social activations developed for this partnership will serve as further testament to the fact that with the right support, any dream is possible.”
T-Mobile will sponsor SportsCenter on Snapchat takeovers and segments previewing upcoming episodes in addition to having custom integrations during the series. ■
