December 7, 2023, New York, New York – Disney will bring sports fans the ultimate present this year, delivering a festive fusion of sports and holiday cheer across college football, NBA, and NFL. Disney platforms promise fans a unique blend of sports action and the spirit of the holidays while providing advertisers the opportunities to connect with a vast and engaged audience. From 40 college football bowl games to an exhilarating Christmas Day with both NFL and NBA play, Disney Advertising has attracted over 250 advertisers spanning nearly 30 categories for prominent sports now through the New Year.
“The magic of sports during this time of year creates an unmissable experience for audiences and advertisers alike,” said Deidra Maddock, VP, Disney Advertising Sports Brand Solutions. “This year, the true holiday gift is being able to celebrate with loved ones while tuning into the key sports moments that can’t be missed. All year round, sports across the Disney networks continue to stand at the forefront, giving brands the opportunity to make meaningful impact for fans.”
From Bowl Games to the College Football Playoff: Disney is Home the College Football Postseason!
ESPN leads the college football postseason, broadcasting 40 bowl games including the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game presented by AT&T. This extensive coverage reaches a broad range of fan bases and teams, allowing advertisers the prime opportunity to reach a massive national audience across ESPN's platforms during the holiday season. Disney Advertising has secured 40 sponsors this year, with brands across numerous categories taking part in the action.
Ally Bank, the nation’s largest all-digital bank, is collaborating with Disney CreativeWorks to craft custom DirectConnect executions, integrating the brand into multiple bowl games to create unique connections with fans.
As a longtime consistent supporter of college football, Capital One strategically extends its sponsorship to have a huge a presence in the postseason with Capital One Bowl Mania and a CFP Official Sponsorship, which includes the entitlement sponsorship of the Capital One Orange Bowl. With Capital One Bowl Mania, the brand will be integrated into 33 bowl game broadcasts and promotions throughout bowl season. Additionally, the Capital One Bowl Mania Fantasy game further engages fans, providing a dynamic platform for increased brand visibility as fans compete and give their bowl game picks across all games.
Progressive Insurance returns as a sponsor, adding excitement to Bowl Season with the Progressive Bowl Challenge Cup, featuring on-site trophy integrations and standing updates that effortlessly weave the brand into the fabric of the games.
The full list of bowl game sponsors includes: 68 Ventures; 76 Gasoline; Allstate; AT&T; AutoZone; Avocados From Mexico; Bad Boy Mowers; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; CHEEZ-IT; Cricket; Duke's Mayo; Easypost; Famous Idaho Potato; Famous Toastery; Goodyear; Guaranteed Rate; Isleta Resort; Lockheed Martin; Mercedes-Benz USA; Peraton; Pop-Tarts; Prudential; Quick Lane; Radiance Technologies; RAM Trucks; ReliaQuest; R+L Carriers; Rob Gronkowski; Roofclaim.com; Scooter's Coffee Frisco; Servpro; SRS Distribution; TaxAct; TaxSlayer; Transperfect; Union Home Mortgage; Valero; Vrbo and Wasabi.
Monday Night Football Christmas Day Matchup
Disney Advertising celebrates a nearly sold-out Christmas Day Monday Night Football (MNF) game, with 14 sponsors leveraging a variety of in-game sponsorships, features and integrations across Monday Night Football programming.
This year’s sponsors include Allstate; Burger King; ESPN Bet; Draft Kings Sportsbook; Goodyear; Jersey Mike’s; Kroger; Mercedes-Benz USA; Panera; Progressive; Taco Bell; Target; United Airlines and Verizon.
Holiday Hoops in High Demand
As sponsorship demand for NBA Christmas Day across ABC and ESPN continues to surge, the holiday tradition is celebrated by both the return of established brands and the exciting addition of newcomers eager to join in on the action. With five games across Disney platforms spanning 13 hours of live coverage basketball fans are in for a full day of festivities.
NBA 2K24 joins as the newest entitlement sponsor for Halftime on ABC. Also, joining the roster this year will be ESPN Bet who will sponsor a “First Half Stats” integration in each game along with a “Pick and Roll” NBA Countdown feature in all shows throughout the day along with Starry running a “3 Point Performers” feature in all five games.
Hoop Streams, one of ESPN’s NBA Digital shows, will be on-site for the matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The show will be presented by State Farm® and will include a custom branded segment sponsored by Hotels.com.
Returning sponsors include Google Pixel executing its “Built Different” custom transition element in both ABC games; Papa Johns, reclaiming its role as the presenting sponsor for NBA Countdown on ABC; State Farm®, resuming its presenting sponsorship for the celebrated Christmas Day coverage on both ESPN and ABC in addition to debuting new State Farm basketball commercials; Taco Bell sponsoring “Starting Lineups” in each game and; Toyota, returning as the ESPN Halftime sponsor.