Disney Sells Out Oscars Ads, Adds 24 New Sponsors
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- Disney sold out all available commercial inventory for its March 15 Oscars telecast, with 30-second ad packages recently priced at $1.7M to $2.2M according to people familiar with negotiations
- The 2026 Oscars drew 18 returning sponsors and 24 new ones, including first-time category participant Burger King and continuing top-tier sponsor Rolex in its ninth year
- Last year's Oscars averaged 19.7 million viewers, a 1% bump over 2024, cementing the show as one of TV's biggest live events even though it trails the Super Bowl's audience
- Burger King secured audible "tosses" from the show before its on-screen commercials, while Mazda will highlight emerging filmmakers with ads across the linear broadcast and interactive Disney streaming
- Coinbase will debut a videogame-themed ad featuring a character trying to escape his world, and Pfizer will run interactive streaming ads that use Oscar marks and intellectual property
- Disney used surging Oscars demand to open bigger sales conversations about its live content portfolio, bundling next year's Super Bowl, the Grammys, and "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year" into upfront deals
- Additional advertisers on the 2026 Oscars include Disney Cruise Line, Dunkin', Eli Lilly, Eucerin, Intuit TurboTax, L'Oreal, McDonald's, Microsoft, Miebo, Paris Baguette, Peacock, Starbucks, State Farm, Toyota, and Verizon
Why it matters: A complete sellout with 42 total sponsors and premium pricing shows live TV demand hasn't eroded, and Disney used that leverage to pull advertisers into broader multi-event commitments spanning the Super Bowl, Grammys, and New Year's Eve — deepening upfront revenue across its live portfolio rather than selling the Oscars as a standalone buy.
