Disney sold every commercial in its 2027 Super Bowl telecast months ago, yet media buyers say the company is still working the phones. The ask: $10 million to $12 million for a 30-second unit, plus a “match” that requires the advertiser to commit additional money to other Disney inventory.
The maneuver is less about current supply than about the option value of a waitlist. If an existing sponsor asks for “relief” from its commitment, Disney wants a higher-paying replacement already lined up. Two media buyers told Variety the company is assembling such a list; one says there is little evidence of advertisers actually trying to exit today. A second says Disney is cultivating interest “should someone back out.”
Why sell what you don’t have?
In Super Bowl ad sales, relief requests are normal. State Farm asked Fox to let it out of a Super Bowl LIX commitment after California wildfires hit its business. Buyers typically surface these requests closer to the end of the fourth quarter, which is why networks often avoid declaring sell-out until just before game day. Disney, by contrast, declared its sell-out in July.
That early sell-out gave Disney a strong reference price. It initially sought $10 million per 30-second unit, versus the $7 million NBC sought in early discussions for the previous game. Some deals closed at $9 million or more with clients that bypassed major buying shops. Most inventory eventually sold at $8 million or more. Now Disney appears to be trying to convert early scarcity into an even higher pricing tier.
The tactics behind the ask
- Waitlist pricing: $10 million to $12 million per 30-second spot, contingent on a current advertiser seeking relief.
- Matching spend: buyers must also commit a “match” to other Disney ad inventory, raising the total package cost.
- Event leverage: the game airs on ABC and ESPN, with a separate ManningCast presentation, a three-day weekend and Valentine’s Day adjacency.
- Expansion option: in past cycles, Fox has opened additional breaks with NFL permission; the league typically takes half the incremental revenue.
Disney declined to make executives available for comment. But the pricing posture fits a company that has been squeezing costs and revenue since Josh D’Amaro became CEO in March, including streaming price increases and layoffs.
Why buyers are wary
Premium Super Bowl spenders such as Anheuser-Busch InBev and PepsiCo pushed back earlier this year when Disney suggested they could lose their usual premium positions if they didn’t meet higher rates. One buyer describes “kind of a sour feeling” around the sales process and says Disney’s placement decisions will be scrutinized closely during the telecast.
The cautionary example is Warner Bros. Discovery. In 2022, the newly merged company pushed advertisers to raise upfront volume or risk losing access to HGTV and sports. Buyers moved money elsewhere, and WBD lost millions. Disney’s waitlist may create a fresh opportunity for marketers who plan early, but the matching-spend requirement means the true cost is not the $10 million to $12 million unit rate. It is the total package, the placement, and the relationship.
Source: Variety
