yahoo
The Walt Disney Company's streaming service, Disney+, is set to make history by airing the Super Bowl for the first time. The game will be simulcast with ABC and ESPN on February 14. This move follows the pattern of recent years, where the Super Bowl has been available on streaming platforms: Fox and Tubi aired the 2025 Super Bowl, while CBS and Paramount+ televised the game the previous year.
All in-game commercial slots have been sold out, with 58 brands across 34 categories securing advertising space, including nine first-time Super Bowl advertisers, according to Disney. Typically, the Super Bowl features between 60 and 70 individual commercials. Analysts indicate that some 30-second spots commanded nearly $10 million, with most priced between $8.5 million and $10 million.
Media-buying executives report that Disney will also offer additional in-game advertising opportunities exclusive to its streaming platforms, such as ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, and its virtual streaming pay TV bundles, Hulu Live + TV and Fubo.
In addition to Super Bowl LXI, Disney+ will air two Monday Night Football games later this fall, marking the first time the platform will broadcast regular-season NFL games. The first game, scheduled for October 26, will feature the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles, with the second game to be announced later.
Disney states that ESPN, Disney+, and ESPN's linear TV networks will distribute the Super Bowl to 55 and 120 international markets, respectively. Before 2024, the Super Bowl was aired by TV networks and their digital platforms, but not by standalone streaming CTV platforms.
In addition to the linear TV channels and virtual streaming bundlers airing the game, the NFL's streaming service NFL+ and the pay TV cable network ESPN Deportes will also broadcast the event.
Key Analysis
Disney+'s entry into Super Bowl broadcasting and regular-season NFL streaming signals a significant shift in how major sporting events are distributed. With streaming platforms increasingly becoming primary outlets for live sports, this move could accelerate the decline of traditional cable viewership and reshape advertising strategies for years to come.
Originally reported by yahoo.