Disney Advertising - statistics & facts

Somewhat out of the spotlight, The Walt Disney Company has successfully brought its advertising business ahead of the curve. In recent years, the company has not only added digital capabilities and become a marketer’s favorite in the video sector, but also has a solution in stock to offer to brands for the time when cookies are no more.

Well-balanced ad revenue

Disney generates advertising revenue across all video content platforms it operates, including linear TV, such as ABC TV stations or National Geographic, connected TV (CTV), and streaming services, such as Disney+, ESPN+, or Hulu. Advertising accounted for under 10 percent of the company’s total revenue and amounted to roughly 7.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, with digital channels making approximately 3.3 billion, or 45 percent of the total. The digital ad earnings correspond to the size of the entire ad market in Indonesia or the digital ad market in New Zealand or Norway.

Disney to the rescue

The company uses its digital offerings – connected TV and streaming services – to collect insights into its audience, building a first-party database. The importance of such databases will grow exponentially when Google completes its cookie deprecation plan, and advertisers will need a new solution to target online ads. Among Disney’s most prominent business partners in the United States is the digital retail media arm of Kroger. The retailer uses its own first-party data with that of Disney’s to target Hulu’s audiences with streaming ads.

Cutting-edge AdTech

To be able to monetize its first-party data without compromising consumer data privacy, Disney has built a digital environment where first-party data owned by different parties can be combined to produce audience insights, known as a clean room. The solution was launched in late 2021, and by the end of 2023, it had accumulated 136 clients and was used by all major agencies and media holding companies, according to Disney Advertising’s communications. To boost its attractiveness, Disney offers interoperability with other ad solutions, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, VideoAmp, or The Trade Desk. The last was the feature that drew Unilever to test Disney Advertising services in early 2023.

Successful like no other

The efforts bear fruit. In 2022, Hulu attracted the highest advertising spending among ad-supported video streaming platforms in the United States. In early 2023, it was by a large margin the most popular streaming platform among U.S. advertising professionals, used by three-quarters of surveyed video marketers. Closest competitors were YouTube TV, Peacock, and Roku, all three used by under 50 percent of marketers. Netflix does not appear in the ranking at all, but industry forecasts envisage it will match Hulu’s 2022 ad revenue in 2027.

Bright future ahead

Disney Advertising offers a very attractive package. It is an established actor in the advertising market, building on decades of experience collected in its linear TV segment. On online platforms, it operates in two booming video segments – CTV and streaming. The effort is supported by state-of-the-art digital technologies and is already attracting the world’s largest advertisers. With first-party cookie deprecation looming on the horizon, Disney’s ad business is likely to experience a surge in demand for its services in the upcoming months.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 2, 2024

Key insights

Disney's revenue
90bn USD
Disney's rank among largest media companies worldwide
5th
Disney's brand value
46.7bn USD
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