Disney’s online ad revenue jumped 47% in the last quarter

Advertising revenue at Walt Disney’s online channels, such as Hulu and ESPN+, are on course to surpass its ABC broadcast network, according to a company filing.

Seen by Bloomberg, Disney reported that ad sales at its direct-to-consumer businesses rose 47% to $882m in the last quarter, compared with 5% growth to $984m at ABC.

Key insights

Walt Disney is benefitting from surging demand for streamed TV. At the same time, the company has consolidated its ad-sales team to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for advertisers across its various networks and platforms.

It means that marketers, using technology pioneered at Hulu, can buy ads themselves and make use of Disney’s viewership data.

The company estimates that, within five years, as much as half of Disney’s online and traditional advertising inventory could be purchased this way.

Hulu now has more than 39 million subscribers and research firm eMarketer expects the service to generate around $3bn in ad sales this year, up 31% from 2020.

Key quote

“Disney, inclusive of Hulu, has proven to be a strong, strategic partner that understands our business, our consumers and how to engage them with compelling content” – Rebecca Traverzo, VP of marketing at ThirdLove, a lingerie firm which worked with Hulu on a campaign last year.

Sourced from Bloomberg