Posted on: Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Disney Co. channels land $1 billion ad deal

By Gary Gentile
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — In what is likely the biggest deal of its kind, the media buying arm of the advertising agency Omnicom Group will spend more than $1 billion on behalf of its clients over the next year on the ABC Television network, ESPN and other outlets of The Walt Disney Co.

The deal will place ads from OMD USA clients such as Pepsi, Gillette and Apple Computer on the Super Bowl, Academy Awards and other shows to be broadcast on ABC next season. The deal also includes ads on NBA playoff games broadcast by ABC and ESPN and spots on Disney-owned cable channels and Internet sites as well as radio stations.

Much of the money will be spent during prime time on ABC, which is trying to reverse a ratings slump and will introduce seven new shows this fall — more than any other network.

The deal is significantly larger than the $300 million Procter & Gamble committed last year to tout its products on Viacom Inc.'s CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon and other outlets.

Neither Disney nor OMD would give a breakdown of how the money will be spent. Mike Shaw, president of sales and marketing for ABC, said the deal does not specify how much will be allocated to ABC, ESPN or cable channels that Disney partly owns, such as Lifetime and A&E.

The deal runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2003.