Super Bowl ad inventory is already sold out

The NFL season has yet to begin, but Disney is already sold out of Super Bowl ad inventory, the company announced Wednesday.

Disney—which plans to air the 2027 Super Bowl on ABC and, for the first time, ESPN—shared the sellout news about a month earlier than NBCUniversal did last year, when the company announced in early September that it was out of 2026 Super Bowl inventory. The sellout happened “earlier than ever” for NBCU, Peter Lazarus, EVP, NBC Sports and Olympics, advertising and partnerships, said in a press release at the time.

The Disney Advertising team sold out the Super Bowl during its 2026-2027 upfront period, during which time “total volume commitments” increased by double digits compared to last year’s upfront, according to a press release. The Super Bowl and the NFL took center stage during Disney’s upfront presentation this year.

The details: Super Bowl advertisers will represent 58 brands across 34 categories, including financial services, candy, personal care, and software, according to Disney. Nine of those advertisers will be brand new to the Super Bowl. Altogether, the group makes up “one of the broadest advertiser and category mixes in Super Bowl history,” per Disney.

Upcoming Super Bowl activations will stretch beyond the broadcast, with interest in assets like Disney’s ESPN Beach on the Santa Monica Pier, the company said.

Full-field view: Sports and Super Bowl inventory has been selling out earlier and earlier, and Disney’s announcement continues a trend that’s been years in the making. That’s despite prices climbing steeply over the years; last year, NBCU reportedly asked for about $8 million for a 30-second spot. Back in 1967, a Super Bowl ad went for $37,500, according to the USA Today Ad Meter.

In addition to pitching the Super Bowl to advertisers, Disney and ESPN have also started promoting the game to fans, having dropped their first ad for the 2027 Super Bowl less than 24 hours after this year’s game in February.