☕ Hot to trot
The brands powering this season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Marketing Brew <[email protected]>
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Morning Brew promotes the return of ABC's Dancing with the Stars for its 35th season, highlighting its increased advertiser interest and ad revenue. The show has garnered support from several season-long and custom sponsors, including AT&T and Sephora. Morning Brew also mentions Gap's new "fashiontainment" project with boy band Just Your Type.
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584 words · about 2 min to read
September 24, 2026
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Sponsor Logo: Triple Whale
It’s Thursday. Gap has announced its first “fashiontainment” project, a multiyear contract with boy band Just Your Type that will include a documentary series, fan experiences, and, naturally, a clothing line. Are you not fashiontained?
In today’s edition:
Stars power 💃
Engagement, worldwide edition 🏈
Reputation management 💼
—Jennimai Nguyen, Alyssa Meyers, Mikaela Cohen
TV & STREAMING
Dance party
Dancer Jenna Johnson hits a move while holding hands with partner and celebrity Harry Shum Jr., both dresses in coordinating blue outfits.
“Live from Hollywood, it’s Dancing with the Stars!”
A ballroom fan would recognize that phrase anywhere, and last week, those words ushered in the return of ABC’s hit competition dance show for its 35th season—this time with the most advertiser interest it’s ever seen and overall ad revenue up 5x year over year, according to John Campbell, SVP of streaming, entertainment, and multicultural solutions at Disney Advertising.
Season 35 is supported by four season-long sponsors, including AT&T, Paris Baguette, Sephora, and Olipop, as well as seven custom sponsors, including financial services brand Thrivent, the upcoming film The Cat in the Hat, Gatorade, Panera, and several others, according to Disney.
In fact, while assembling Season 35’s advertiser roster, Campbell faced a challenge, he told us: He was facing too much brand interest.
“Even before the cast announcement, even before we knew what the 16 pairs were going to be, we actually at one point had to take an inbound pause with our production partners because we just needed time to be able to figure out who we can and can’t take,” he said.
The brand excitement comes from last season’s commanding viewership and engagement numbers, which reached more than 9 million viewers at the time of the Season 34 finale and more than 72 million votes cast, a 125% increase compared to Season 33, according to Campbell. As Season 35 kicks off, executives are hoping for a similar success story, and to keep its advertisers dancing right along.
Continue reading here.—JN
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Sponsored By Triple Whale
Fall back on the data
Sponsor: Triple Whale
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SPORTS MARKETING
Something for everyone
The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams playing football in Melbourne, Australia.
Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
During the first week of the NFL season, the matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers averaged 18.5 million live viewers, a smaller audience than the opening night game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, which averaged 25.1 million viewers.
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