The news: Disney announced that it sold out ad inventory for the 98th Oscars days before the Sunday broadcast, driven by marketplace demand for live events. The news continues Disney’s streak of successful tentpole event sellouts, following “Dick Clark’s New Years Rockin’ Eve” and the 59th Annual CMA Awards.

A source close to the show told Adweek that Disney increased ad rates by double-digit percentages compared with last year’s ceremony. That source also claimed an increase in total advertisers, including 24 new sponsors.

Behind the success: Disney points to its “content everywhere” strategy as the reason behind the sellout. The company has taken a multi-platform approach spanning several days surrounding the ceremony.

The multi-platform strategy includes the Oscars airing on broadcast network ABC and streaming platform Hulu. Brands like Mazda and Volkswagen of America are also leveraging tools like TikTok Pulse Premiere, which has partnered with Disney Advertising for the 98th Oscars. This partnership offers custom content and a dedicated in-app Oscars hub.

Why it matters: The full ad slate proves that advertisers have a major appetite for live events, but also highlights how the nature of live TV—once confined to linear—is changing in the digital age.

• Live TV during major events draws highly attentive audiences. Nearly one-third of US adult TV viewers watch 1 to 3 hours of live TV daily, per YouGov. And for events like the Oscars, viewership tends to be incredibly high—last year’s ceremony drew in nearly 20 million viewers across platforms.
• Viewers across age groups tend to find ads during live TV more tolerable than ads during on-demand content. This creates an environment where campaigns are more likely to be viewed favorably and as less intrusive.
• Live events no longer belong to a single viewing medium. Even as viewing habits move toward digital options, consumers aren’t entirely abandoning one platform for another: 95.1% of US viewers stream on-demand content, and 88.5% still watch live TV. Broadcast captures 5 hours and 42 minutes of time spent weekly on average from viewers.
• But live TV will become increasingly digital. The Oscars will move exclusively to YouTube in 2029, ending its nearly 50-year run on ABC. This transition highlights how viewing habits have decisively shifted, but also allows for year-round programming opportunities, content, and sponsorship formats not possible with traditional broadcast.

Implications for marketers: Whether on broadcast or streaming, tentpole live TV events remain one of the most dependable ways for marketers to reach large audiences. But marketers must also recognize that live events will continue to shift toward a digital-first experience and gradually reallocate budgets accordingly.

For Disney, early sellout proves that its investment in live events is paying off—but the Oscars’ upcoming shift to YouTube could leave a notable gap in its live-event portfolio.