NEWS: Disney Will Likely Soon Earn More From Advertising on Hulu Than ABC

If you’ve been following along with the Walt Disney Company, then you know that they’re turning their focus to streaming going into the future.

©Disney

While the parks and merchandise markets may still be profitable, Disney’s streaming services like Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ are what’s making the real money for the company. New information proves the truth of that statement, as it seems that Hulu is slated to pass ABC in advertising revenue soon!

According to an article posted on Bloomberg, ad sales for Disney’s direct-to-consumer businesses were up to $882 million last quarter. Direct-to-consumer businesses include Disney’s streaming services like Hulu and ESPN+, as well as ABC.com.

Hulu President Kelly Campbell ©Disney

ABC made $984 million in ad sales during the same time period, which means that Hulu and other online services are closing in quickly! Rita Ferro, president of advertising sales at Disney, said “Advertisers want to follow audiences.” Bob Chapek, Disney CEO, also commented on Hulu, sharing “The secret weapon with Hulu is obviously the rapid growing, robust advertising business.”

©ABC

Recently pioneered technology at Hulu allows advertisers to buy the ads themselves, using data that Disney provides about their viewership. This allows advertisers to know who is watching and when. This has encouraged more small businesses to come and work with Disney when they traditionally might not.

©Hulu

Research from EMarketer estimates that Hulu alone will generate as much as $3 billion in ad sales this year, which would be a 31% increase from 2020. We’ll make sure to keep you updated on the latest numbers and details on Hulu’s success!