“We actually had to strategically fight to not sell out sooner, especially based on what we saw during the past two years, but especially last year—the amount of people that wanted to be a part of this,” Dobies said. “We intentionally wanted to carve out space for as many of our brands as possible and be as inclusive as possible for this particular property. If we would have taken every single dollar and unit we had been offered, we would have sold out before the upfront was even over.”

Let them play

Disney Advertising shared more details from NCAA Women’s March Madness because there’s more to add.

The women’s tournament’s returning advertisers increased their budgets by 81% from 2024. The tournament’s 112 total advertisers include 45 new brands, expanding the event’s reach to 18 categories—adding hotels and resorts, airlines, and coffee/tea brands to mainstays in automotive, finance, pharmaceutical, and athletic footwear.

In the championship game, Dobies said Disney Advertising saw scatter ad rates higher than $1 million. Dobies pointed out that, depending on the market, that rate is equivalent to what Disney Advertising charges for the NBA Finals and the College Football Playoff National Championship.

“A lot of years ago, the question was: ‘How do we convince brands to buy women’s sports?’” Dobies said. “That’s not the conversation anymore. It’s: ‘How do we make space for everybody?’”

To wedge more advertisers in, Disney Advertising has spread advertisers to more women’s sports properties throughout its portfolio and more spaces on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN+, and Disney+—as well as digital and social media offerings.

Sharing the ball

Dobies said Disney Advertising has also sold out ad space for its app-based 2025 Tournament Challenge, which gives brands access to 9.4 million players filling out 22.6 million tournament brackets.

In fact, Briganti acknowledged that excitement around the women’s tournament and tight ad availability there may be generating demand for men’s tournament inventory.

“One hundred percent, it’s fantastic… from championship activations, understanding the logistics between two cities, to ad campaigns, to literally, booking travel for certain clients, it’s definitely part of the conversation,” Briganti said. “Seeing that side continue to grow—and brands will have properties in other female sports—it’s definitely something that is helping the overall marketplace.”