Advertising inventory for Sunday’s Oscar telecast is sold out, Disney has confirmed, with pricing said to be holding steady with 2024 levels.
Rates for a 30-second spot commanded between $1.7 million and $2.3 million, according to a source familiar with negotiations.
Ad buyers are getting additional real estate this year, with the show streaming live on Hulu for the first time. The ad experience will be the same on both ABC and Hulu.
Both buyers and sellers are hoping recent momentum can continue with this year’s telecast, which will be hosted for the first time by Conan O’Brien. While viewership is well off its Avatar highs of yore, part of a wider fade for live award shows, it remains a high-level draw and is heading in a positive direction. Last year’s Oscars telecast marked the third consecutive year of viewership growth and was the most-watched edition since 2020.
Last year’s show also had a major front-runner in Oppenheimer as well as its opposite number at the summer box office, Barbie. This year’s nominees haven’t generated as much tonnage at the box office but the field is full of colorful personalities and crossover talent like Wicked‘s Ariana Grande to potentially pull in more casual viewers.
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John Campbell, SVP, Entertainment and Streaming Solutions, Disney Advertising, told Deadline that demand was higher at an earlier stage this cycle than in previous years. He also said a wider range of categories will be represented. “Proud” sponsors (with extra presence at the Dolby Theatre) include Rolex, which has been in that position for eight years running, and new arrivals T-Mobile and Prudential.
Social media, local broadcast and streaming leading up to the big night (for example, catch-up viewing of Disney and Searchlight titles) are complements to the main show opportunity, Campbell said.
Hulu’s Know Your Movies and Critically Acclaimed on Disney+ offer advertisers positions on the company’s streaming platforms, with additional data-driven chances to reach anyone coming to the services to watch movies of any kind. Disney also is continuing TikTok Pulse Premiere and On The Red Carpet at The Oscars, a live pre-show syndicated across major local markets and live-streamed nationwide.
“The demand for this year’s Oscars is an undeniable reflection of the show’s evergreen cultural influence, and a testament to Disney’s ability to deliver the greatest live entertainment specials in the market,” Campbell said in a press release. “The Oscars continues to be the ultimate platform for advertisers to introduce bold concepts and connect with audiences on a global scale.”
With the show itself planning to highlight the Los Angeles community’s recovery from January’s wildfires, expect similar notes to be struck by advertisers. Across the board, there is a record number of custom creative integrations, Disney said, some of which involved Disney Advertising’s in-house creative studio, Disney CreativeWorks. Among the 20 categories in the mix are apparel, automotive, beverages, consumer packaged goods, entertainment, financial services, healthcare, insurance, media, pharmaceuticals, retail, technology, and telecommunications. Additionally, this year marks the first international sponsorship of the Oscars on Disney+ with advertiser Christan Dior Parfum. Disney+ is livestreaming the show in international markets, which are not served by Hulu.
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