Disney Anticipates $100M In Ad Sales With NHL Games

Walt Disney Co. DIS is forecasting more than $100 million in National Hockey League-related advertising sales when the league’s games return to its broadcast and streaming platforms for the 2021-22 season.

What Happened: According to a Front Office Sports report, the company is picking up many of the advertisers that promoted their brands and products on Comcast’s CMCSA NBC division over the past 16 years, including Apple AAPL and Verizon VZ.

“We are very, very well sold,” said Rita Ferro, president of Disney advertising sales. “We have a couple of positions left, mostly in the playoffs and finals.”

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Why It's Important: Last month, Disney announced it will broadcast 103 NHL games during the 2021-22 season across its ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu and ABC platforms, along with more than 1,000 out-of-market games on ESPN+.

Disney and the NHL signed a partnership deal in March covering television, streaming and media rights that begins with the 2021-22 season and runs through the 2027-28 season.

In a separate deal, Turner Sports, a division of AT&T's T WarnerMedia, will broadcast 50 NHL games via the TNT cable network, including 15 double-headers over 25 Wednesday nights and seven weeks of Sunday afternoon games in March and April.

The NHL opened its 2021-22 season last week, with ESPN averaging 884,000 viewers for an Oct. 12 doubleheader and Turner Sports' attracting more than 669,000 viewers for its Oct. 13 doubleheader.

Photo: NHL.