NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - ABC is seeing strong sales and pricing for advertising for the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards, both of which it will broadcast next year, a newspaper reported Monday.

Strong ad sales for the two programs would provide a much-needed lift for ABC, which has trailed the other networks in ratings, particularly among the key viewers 18 to 49 years old sought by advertisers. The Super Bowl is especially important since it's the single biggest advertising showcase on television each year.

USA Today said ABC is about 80 percent sold out of time on the Super Bowl, with all but one spot in the game's first half already sold. The network, a unit of Walt Disney Co., is getting $2 million to $2.2 million for a 30-second spot, compared with $1.9 million a spot last year, when the game was broadcast on Fox, the network of Fox Entertainment Group.

Last year's overall ad market was much weaker than this year's market, which has seen prices for most prime time shows significantly above year-ago rates, and availability of spots relatively limited. Last year's Super Bowl was also hurt by the start of the Winter Olympics shortly after the game, which drew some advertising dollars away from the game.

The paper also said ABC is looking for $1.4 million for a 30-second spot on the Academy Awards in March, up from about $1.2 million a year earlier.

For the 12 months ending Sept. 30, ABC had an operating loss of $36 million, compared with an operating profit of $783 million a year earlier, as broadcasting revenue fell 15 percent to $5.1 billion, even as revenue increased at its cable networks.

Shares of Disney (DIS: Research, Estimates), a component of the Dow Jones industrial average, lost 2 cents to close Friday trading at $19.53.