As the 2023 NHL Playoffs competition heats up, Disney Advertising has secured an exceptional lineup of sponsors for its nearly sold-out postseason. With the second-consecutive playoffs on ESPN’s platforms since the new seven-year rights agreement with The Walt Disney Company, the excitement for these highly anticipated matches is unrivaled, with 17 sponsors and 142 advertisers across 64 categories eagerly taking center ice to be part of the action.
“At Disney, we are in a unique position to bring the best and most engaging hockey games in the world to millions across our unparalleled platforms and networks,” said Jim Minnich, SVP, Revenue & Yield Management, Disney Advertising. “In leveraging our incomparable reach and deep understanding of sports fans – particularly our NHL fans - brands are able to create powerful connections with our audiences beyond the buzzer and throughout the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs and beyond.”
With a host of top brands committed to creating an unforgettable experience for fans, this year’s NHL playoffs are set to be an absolute thriller. Every game will be presented by GEICO, with the brand appearing in opening animations, billboards, and logo placements throughout the postseason. Additionally, GEICO will bring fans an extra dose of excitement right up to the last second during the Final Five Minutes in every game. While Lexus brings their A-game to the First Intermission report, Discover is taking the Second Intermission report to the next level, both sure to be packed with insightful commentary and top-notch analysis that fans can look forward to. When it comes to keeping fans engaged if the game extends beyond regulation, Subway will serve up a fresh lineup of analysis during the Overtime Intermission reports.
In-game feature integrations throughout the playoffs include GoDaddy Starting Lineups, SAP Coaching Insights App, and Chipotle Winning Ingredients. Select games across the postseason will also incorporate in-game features from a robust roster of sponsors. Fans can be sure they’ll never miss any of the action as eBay Motor, EGO, and Progressive will sponsor Game Recap features. Additional in-game features include Honda Starting Goalies, AWS Face-off Probability, Mazda Power Play, and live coverage integrations from Apple.
Brands are also scoring big with integrations across The Point, ESPN’s weekly studio show which covers all things NHL. Mercedes and Synchrony Bank will both sponsor features surrounding the excitement of the Playoffs while Navy Federal Credit Union will once again bring fans joy with their NHL Stick Tap for Service feature. Across social media, Discover will have several custom integrations including presenting two episodes of The Drop, ESPN’s NHL Digital Live Show, while Chipotle will capture fans with their sponsorship of SportsCenter on Snapchat throughout select windows of the playoffs.
The NHL continues to perform extremely well this season across broadcast and cable. For the full regular season, the NHL on ABC averaged 1 million total viewers and over 300,000 viewers between ages 18 to 49, up 19 percent and 14 percent respectively from last year. The chase for the 2023 Stanley Cup officially begins Monday, April 17, with ESPN and ABC featuring 13 first round games over the first four days, and fans can tune into every second of the action on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+ and ABC.
---
Media Contact:
Bukola Oyalabu | Bukola.Oyalabu@Disney.com
Kristen Smith | Kristen.T.Smith@Disney.com