Disney Says ESPN’s Women’s March Mad Ad Inventory Is Completely Booked
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 05:44PM By Barry Janoff
UPDATED March 28, 2023: ESPN’s 28th exclusive presentation of the NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Championship reaches the NCAA Women’s Final Four, live from the American Airlines Center in Dallas March 31-April 2.
The 2023 championship will feature ESPN’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Capital One along with signature MegaCast presentations across multiple platforms for both the semi-finals and championship game with all televised offerings also streaming live on ESPN+.
The main telecasts from Texas will be handled by ESPN’s lead commentator team: play-by-play Ryan Ruocco, analyst Rebecca Lobo, sideline analyst Andraya Carter and reporter Holly Rowe.
The Bird & Taurasi Show Presented by AT&T returns for its second year featuring collegiate and WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, live from inside the American Airlines Center. The show will be available on ESPN2 and ESPN+ for all three games.
March 14, 2023: Led by brands including Capital One, Nissan, Invesco QQQ, Buick, CarMax, Indeed.com, Unilever and Werner Ladder, Disney Advertising said today that in-game sponsorship opportunities for the 2023 NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Championship are sold out.
Disney Advertising said the 68-team tournament has attracted 15 broadcast sponsors and nearly 100 advertisers across various categories, also including Aflac, Great Clips, Intuit QuickBooks, OOFOS, Principal, Under Armour, U.S. Army, Wendy’s and Xfinity,
The Women’s Tournament will air for the 28th year exclusively on ESPN platforms, beginning with the First Four games March 15-16 thru the Final Four in Dallas March 31 and National Championship April 2 on ABC.
“Inclusive sports storytelling is a business imperative for Disney,” Theresa Palmieri, VP, Disney Advertising Sports Brand Solutions, Theresa Palmieri, vp-Disney advertising sports brand solutions, said via the company.
“As the exclusive broadcaster of the NCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Championship, we always look forward to connecting brands with one of the most exciting collegiate athletic events of the year. We are thrilled to see our sponsors and advertisers lean into our continued commitment to women’s sports and have flocked to these offerings.”
Disney Advertising said the 2022-23 NCAA women’s college basketball regular season on ESPN platforms averaged more than 190,000 viewers, “making it the most-viewed regular season in nearly a decade.”
Women’s college basketball via ESPN also had two billion minutes of viewership, ”the most on record and up 35% compared to last year,” according to Disney Advertising.
Capital One and new co-presenting sponsor Nissan will be the Women’s Tournament Challenge sponsors.
In collaboration with the NCAA and Learfield, Invesco QQQ returns as presenting sponsor of the WBCA Coaches Trophy, culminating with the trophy presentation following the National Championship game in American Airlines Center.
AT&T returns as the presenting and halftime sponsor for The Bird & Taurasi Show alternate presentation of the Final Four and Championship game with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, which debuted during last season’s March Madness, airing on ESPN2 and simulcast on ESPN+
Capital One will also have a presence as presenting sponsor of the Women’s Final Four pre-game shows on March 31 and April 2, and in Dallas at Tourney Town Fan Festival presented by Capital One (March 30-April 2) in Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
The Capital One Bracket Challenge is the official bracket game of men’s March Madness.
The Women’s Tournament Challenge presented by Capital One is being offered in alliance with ESPN.
Capital One marketing includes several spots starring Charles Barkley, Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, Jennifer Garner, Magic Johnson, Jim Nantz and special guest Willie Nelson.
Also at the women’s Final Four, Buick is presenting partner for Bounce (fans dribbling their way along the streets of Dallas and into Tourney Town presented by Capital One) and Party On The Plaza outside of American Airlines Center (including food, beverage, merchandise sales, music, games and photo opps).
AT&T is presenting partner for Super Saturday Concert (April 1, Discovery District), Beyond The Baselinel (panels and guest speakers designed to empower and equip women in sport and business) and Title IX 50th Anniversary Showcase.
Nissan, Principal, Wendy’s and Xfinity, will sponsor live digital shows focused on or including women’s basketball such as Bracketology, Champ Week Live, Women’s Final Four coverage on-site in Dallas, and Basketball Bonanza, respectively.
Across social, such digital sponsors as AT&T, Buick, Intuit QuickBooks, Nissan, U.S. Army and Wendy’s will have custom integrations on Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube, giving people exclusive access to the tournament.
ESPN’s Final Four and Championship Commentator Team includes Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Andraya Carter and Holly Rowe.
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