Disney Ad Sales Dunks NCAA Women’s Hoops Tournament

Ariyah Copeland #22 of the Alabama Crimson Tide grabs a rebound against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at the Alamodome on March 22, 2021 in San Antonio, Texas.
(Image credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Disney Advertising Sales said it has sold all of the commercial inventory for the 2022 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Tournament.

The tournament will be televised by ESPN’s networks from March 16 through April 3.

Disney Ad Sales said the tournament drew 14 sponsors, including Capital One, which returns as the presenting sponsor. The sponsors lineup also includes Adidas, Buick, Champion, Cooper Tires, Ivesco, Nissan, Orgain, Principal Financial Group, Sirius XM, Target, Unilever and Werner Ladder. 

Other advertisers include Apple, AT&T, Credit Karma, General Motors, Golden Corral, Indeed, Jersey Mike’s, Merk, National Automotive Parts Association, Nissan, Quicken Loans, Subway, Taco Bell, T-Mobile, Wendy’s, Whirlpool and Workday.

“ESPN is dedicated to amplifying women in sports, and we are looking forward to this year’s NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament,” said Sean Hanrahan, senior VP , Sports Brand Solutions. “We are excited to see that our sponsors and advertisers have really leaned into our commitment to diversity in athletics and have flocked to these offerings.”

As part of its sponsorship package, Capital One will have numerous feature integrations throughout the tournament. The brand will bring fans the Starting Lineup, a Rewarding Performance feature and the Women’s Tournament Challenge. 

Unilever will be the halftime entitlement sponsor.

Target will sponsor alternate camera angles throughout the Women’s Final Four broadcasts and Werner Ladder will sponsor the net-cutting ceremony during the postgame show. ■

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.