Benzinga | Oct 21, 2021 12:12PM EDT

Disney Anticipates $100M In Ad Sales With NHL Games

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS) is forecasting more than $100 million in National Hockey League-related advertising sales when the league's games return to its broadcast and streaming platforms for the 2021-22 season.

What Happened: According to a Front Office Sports report, the company is picking up many of the advertisers that promoted their brands and products on Comcast's (NASDAQ:CMCSA) NBC division over the past 16 years, including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Verizon (NYSE:VZ).

"We are very, very well sold," said Rita Ferro, president of Disney advertising sales. "We have a couple of positions left, mostly in the playoffs and finals."

Related Link: Analysis: Was Barclays' Disney Downgrade A Bad Call?

Why It's Important: Last month, Disney announced it will broadcast 103 NHL games during the 2021-22 season across its ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu and ABC platforms, along with more than 1,000 out-of-market games on ESPN+.

Disney and the NHL signed a partnership deal in March covering television, streaming and media rights that begins with the 2021-22 season and runs through the 2027-28 season.

In a separate deal, Turner Sports, a division of AT&T's (NYSE:T) WarnerMedia, will broadcast 50 NHL games via the TNT cable network, including 15 double-headers over 25 Wednesday nights and seven weeks of Sunday afternoon games in March and April.

The NHL opened its 2021-22 season last week, with ESPN averaging 884,000 viewers for an Oct. 12 doubleheader and Turner Sports' attracting more than 669,000 viewers for its Oct. 13 doubleheader.

Photo: NHL.