Disney’s Success in Digital Advertising Sales

In the world of advertising, Disney is having its happily ever after moment. Disney is seeing great success in digital advertising through the launch of two new technology programs, Disney Real-Time Ad Exchange and Hulu Ad Manager, that help companies strategically plan when to stream and show their ads. 

The launch of Disney Real-Time Ad Exchange (DRAX) lets companies bid on their desired audiences both on Disney and on their owned networks. DRAX allows companies to plan their inventory ad sales and take advantage of traffic spikes on the various streaming platforms. 

The EVP of client and brand solutions at Disney, Lisa Valentino, had an interview with Campaign US in which she discussed the benefits of DRAX, “For the first time, clients can see all of our inventory and have the ability to manage reach and frequency across a much larger pool of inventory.”

Disney also had the launch of Hulu Ad Manager which gives businesses the ability to upload their own videos, choose their target audience, and select the desired date and time to run their ads. 

According to AdExchanger, Hulu Ad Manager was created to “give small-and-medium-sized businesses the ability to reach streaming TV viewers.”  The start of this new program lets sponsors buy the ads directly and bring in new small businesses.

Additionally, ads can reach greater audience demographics with Disney Ad Sales as it includes the networks of ABC, ABC News, eight ABC-owned local stations, ESPN, Freeform, Hulu and National Geographic. According to Variety, media companies like NBCUniversal are similarly promoting their local stations with central ad sales. 

President of advertising sales at Disney, Rita Ferro, said in an interview with Business Insider, “Over 1,000 new clients have come onboard with the changes and the company expects an 80% boost in automated ad revenue this year.”

The launch of these new technologies is generating noteworthy success. US Campaign reports that Disney hopes “50% of its total ad revenue will become programmatic across linear and digital by 2024.”

Do you think Disney will continue to find success through the launch of these new programs? Is it advantageous for parent companies to promote their local stations with ad sales? Let us know your thoughts at @TXADPR.