Disney Sells Out Commercial Inventory During Oscars Broadcast

Jimmy Kimmel hosts the Oscars on March (Image credit: Getty Images)

Disney Advertising said it sold all of the advertising inventory for Sunday’s Oscars telecast.

Prices for 30-second spots ranged between $1.7 million to $2.2 million, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Advertising intelligence company Guideline's Forward Booking service found that advertisers are paying an average of about $1.4 million, up 18% from a year ago, when Guideline estimates that the ABC broadcast generated $66.2 million in ad revenue. Guideline gets it data from invoices in the traffic computers of major media agencies.

Traditionally one of TV’s most viewed non-sports events, the Oscars attracts sponsors that often create special commercials designed to connect with what is usually an engaged, affluent audience.

Advertisers of this year’s show include: Abbott Laboratories, Abbvie, Airbnb, Allstate, Astellas Pharma, Bank of America, Booking.com, Carnival Corp., Costar Group Inc.’s Homes.com, CVS, Diageo’s Don Julio brand, Discover Card, Doordash, Dunkin’ Donuts, Eli Lilly, Energizer Holdings, GetYourGuide, GlaxoSmithKline, Henkel, Intuit, Kenvue, Lionsgate, LVMH Group, Marshalls, MGM, Nerd Wallet, Nestle, Nissan’s Infiniti division, Panda Express, Peacock, Penney Opco, PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew and Baja Blast, Pfizer, Polestar, Procter & Gamble, Progressive, Rolex, Charles Schwab, Sirius XM Radio, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, State Farm, Talking Rain Beverage’s Sparkling Ice, TikTok, UCB Inc., Ulta, Unilever, Universal Pictures, Verizon, Walmart, Walt Disney Studios, Wayfair and Whirlpool.

Oscar Advertisers — (Image credit: Disney Advertising)

Several brands will be incorporated into the awards show. Don Julio will get an in-show moment; an integration with Rolex will celebrate this year’s winners; and Bank of America is ensuring people with disabilities can enjoy and access the program with ease.

There will also be a first-of-its-kind red carpet live stream with TikTok, Disney said.

“On March 10, Hollywood’s biggest night returns and we couldn’t be more excited, along with our incredible brand partners, to once again have the honor to celebrate the greatest in films and storytelling,” Disney president of global advertising Rita Ferro said. “The Oscars stage and telecast continues to be the break-through moment for the most impactful brand marketers to bring their own creative storytelling to the cultural forefront through new innovation and never-before-seen activations.”

The 96th Oscars will air March 10, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.