Disney will broadcast this year’s Super Bowl for the first time in more than two decades, and demand from commercial partners has been unprecedented.
Through its subsidiary ABC, Disney has been selling 30-second commercials for $8 million, with some brands paying $10 million or more. If we assign a blended price of $8.5 million per 30-second slot and multiply that by 90 units, Disney will generate approximately $765 million in commercial revenue during the game.
That also doesn’t include pre- and post-game Super Bowl inventory, which will likely add another $150 million to the total. At close to $1 billion, this year’s Super Bowl will be the most lucrative NFL game ever for Disney’s network portfolio.
But here’s the interesting part: Disney is now hoping that some of its commercial partners cancel their deals so the network can make more money from the game.
Let me explain…