Disney Plans May 12 Upfront Showcase, With 2027 Super Bowl Ads on Tap
Disney plans to hold three different events as part of its upfront sales process, guiding advertisers through its ad-tech, sports offerings and overall content slate as the company gears up to sell advertising for its first Super Bowl in more than two decades.
The media giant will hold an event on January 7 to showcase its technology and data capabilities, with a sports-focused showcase on March 24. The company plans its usual late Tuesday afternoon event during the industry’s annual “Upfront Week,” with an event that will take place May 12 at New York’s Javits Center. All three events were revealed in a memo to clients sent Wednesday by Rita Ferro, president of Disney’s ad-sales operations.
“We’ve officially kicked off our roadmap, designed to showcase the full breadth of Disney’s capabilities — from content and franchises to data and technology,” Ferro said in a statement.
The company’s next upfront will kick off the process for sales tied to Super Bowl LXI, scheduled to be played February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Disney’s ABC has not telecast the gridiron classic since 2006, but regained a place in the usual rotation among Fox, NBC and CBS in its most recent deal with the NFL.
The Super Bowl could play a big role in Disney’s upfront sales progress. NBC was able to declare sell out of its looming 2026 broadcast in September, but dispensed with a significant chunk of its inventory ahead of its upfront presentation earlier this year. Even as streaming has eroded the ranks of linear viewers in primetime, sports has built new bulwarks.
Advertisers still crave the broad, simultaneous viewership such extravaganzas generate, and marketers that in the past might not have spent heavily on sports now see new reasons to do so. Meanwhile, scripted programming, viewed at times of the audience’s own choosing, is less powerful than a key NFL or NBA game, which demands to be watched live.
NBCU had been seeking $7 million for a 30-second Super Bowl spot earlier in the year, according to media buyers. Super Bowl LIX, played on Fox earlier this year, came to around $800 million, the company revealed in May.
Disney has contemplated some intriguing twists for the NFL extravaganza. ESPN Chairman Jimmy PItaro said in 2012 that the company could try to mount a Super Bowl “mega-cast” across its media portfolio that could create different broadcasts of the gridiron classic tailored to specific types of audiences. The technique is something Disney has been experimenting with frequently in recent years.
