As the puck drops on the 2023-2024 NHL season Tuesday, ESPN has reason for celebration.
ESPN has secured 26 presenting sponsors for the NHL season, claiming that the advertising inventory for the year is “nearly sold out”. That inventory not only includes linear television broadcasts but also the games that are exclusive to ESPN+.
The Walt Disney Company says in total it has secured 120 advertisers representing 65 categories that will air during NHL broadcasts.
According to a report from Media Post, the networks brought in $155 million in national TV advertising revenue last year. That figure represented a jump from the $111.5 million in revenue from the previous season.
The announcement that the network is nearly sold out of advertising inventory comes on the heels of additional NHL programming launched by ESPN. The network will host Frozen Frenzy, an NFL RedZone-style broadcast when all 32 of the league’s teams are in action on a given night. The program will be hosted by John Buccigross and will begin on linear television at 8:00 PM ET after starting the night on the network’s streaming service.
