College Football Playoff expansion boosts ESPN, Disney | Wilnesh News

The expanded College Football Playoff format is a game-changer for media companies this season and a game-changer for media companies disney especially.

this season mark This is the first of the 12-team College Football Playoff format, meaning fans of more teams can participate in the games more than ever before. As a result, the Disney television networks that broadcast college football games – including ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 – will have their highest-rated season since 2016, according to the company.

According to advertising data company EDO, this means that ads shown during games have higher viewership. The situation is expected to continue into Thanksgiving weekend, a busy time on the college football calendar filled with rivalries and will impact playoff seeding and upcoming bowl games.

The 14th and final weekend of the season will feature Ohio State and longtime rivals Michigan State, Texas and Texas A&M.

“I think we have higher hopes and higher expectations for this coming weekend because of the format change,” EDO CEO Kevin Krim said of ad engagement on Disney Network. Expectations. “Based on our experience and our data, these games are important. “

In 2022, university presidents responsible for the College Football Playoff voted to expand the postseason system that determines the national championship from four to 12 teams. The change not only provides more games for Disney’s schedule, but also adds to the intrigue surrounding games earlier in the season.

Jim Minnich, senior vice president, Disney Advertising, said: “College football is a key part of our portfolio, not only our sports portfolio, but our Disney platform portfolio. From an ad sales and content perspective, we have achieved significant results. People are incredibly successful.

ABC, in particular, is expected to have its best ratings season for college football since 2009.

As of Week 10, consumers are 11% more likely to view ads on Disney networks during college football games this season compared to the competitive broadcast and cable primetime average, EDO data shows. This means people are more likely to search for products and services they see during ad breaks, making those ad breaks more valuable to advertisers.

In particular, EDO predicts that ad performance across a range of games on Disney Network is expected to spike again during the 2023 Thanksgiving weekend. The company reported that advertising during Disney’s game last year was 93% more effective than other networks’ programming during the same time period, and was up 39% year-over-year.

Some of the brands that saw particularly high levels of consumer engagement during Disney Channel’s college football games were consumer goods brands such as Jimmy Dean and Just for Men; restaurants such as Popeyes; and pharmaceuticals such as AbbVie’s Skyrizi, according to EDO.

At a time when the media industry faces serious turmoil, these are indicators worth noting. Consumers are fleeing pay-TV bundles, and changes made by media companies in recent years — particularly shifting resources toward streaming platforms — are under scrutiny more than ever. Companies are also relying more than ever on advertising.

Minnich said Disney has seen “significant renewal demand” from its College Football Playoff partners, with some looking to renew early in 2027 and beyond.

“There’s renewed interest earlier than ever before,” Minnich said, adding that it was driven by the College Football Playoff and the broader sports community.

On the advertising front, Disney sold out its conference championship games. It also sells about 90 to 95 percent of the College Football Playoff ads.

“We actually performed better in the championship than we have in years past,” Minnich said. “We are ahead of last year, including expected growth in CFP.”

Live sports remain the last bastion of steady ratings for TV networks. The National Football League tends to lead in ratings and advertising, with college football not far behind. Despite the softening advertising market in recent years, advertisers have continued to spend money on sporting events.

“Football is typically the most expensive program on television because it generates more viewers who engage with the program and commercial breaks more than any other program on television. The NFL is definitely at the top of the mountain of value, but it’s a close second Next came college football,” Krim said.

In response, sports media rights have exploded across the board.

Disney’s status as the home of all Southeastern Conference football games also boosts advertising demand. The media company is It is said It will pay approximately $300 million per year for the SEC rights over the next 10 years.

ESPN and the College Football Playoff announced in March that they had agree A six-year, $7.8 billion contract through the 2031-32 season. Soon after, Warner Bros. Discovery Signed a five-year broadcast agreement with ESPN to broadcast first-round and quarterfinal games of the College Football Playoff.

College football also plays a big role against Disney’s rivals, including Paramount CBS Sports, Fox Corporationand Comcast NBC Sports.

Crim said college football games are better than the average for all the networks that show the games.

Revealed: Comcast-owned NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.