Disney has over the past two years spent billions to snare new rights deals with top sports properties like Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, the PGA Tour and others. But in months to come, the company may place new emphasis on programming around those big properties.
New research from the company indicates more sports fans are interested in “the game around the game,” says Lisa Valentino, executive vice president at Disney Advertising Sales, in an interview, and that could manifest itself increasingly in sports content that is found on smartphones; activity related to fantasy sports; or content related to sports-betting. Research indicates 76% of fans are “engaged in at least one digital activity while watching games,” she says, while 54% of sports fans show interest in sports betting.
“There is a lot of opportunity there for advertisers, and in the future, it starts with understanding behavior,” she says.
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The nod towards new interest in activity around sports viewing comes as Disney held a meeting with advertisers Wednesday to spotlight its sports portfolio. With ESPN, Disney delivers around one third of overall viewer impressions around sports content, says Valentino. To prove it, the company’s meeting included appearances by the commissioners of MLB, Big Ten, NBA, NHL and WNBA.
The company outlined a variety of ways marketers can connect to sports, including live commercials during ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and even in a split screen around a live sports broadcast.
Disney is also working to secure ad support for a growing array of women’s sports, having lined up Google to support the WNBA and State Farm to sponsor fantasy women’s basketball. The company wants to interest advertisers in its documentary efforts as well, Valentino says.
