Women's sports viewership continues its upward trajectory with the NCAA women's basketball championship game drawing over 8 million viewers and peaking at 9.8 million, per ESPN ratings. While that figure is down over 2024’s 18.5 million, it represents a longer trend of sustained growth in women’s sports viewership. This phenomenon can no longer be attributed to one single star athlete—Caitlin Clark—but to an overall increase in women’s sports popularity.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how March Madness viewership stacked up this year, if women’s college basketball was able to sustain the bump from the ‘Caitlin Clark effect’, and how viewers of women’s sports are both different and the same. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Analyst Paola Flores-Marquez, Vice President of Content Paul Verna, and Vice President of Inclusive Insights Charlene Polite Corley. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Sports remains a profitable ad opportunity: Two-thirds of Americans are sports fans and over half have made a purchase based on audio ads.
This year, high viewership demonstrates the enduring popularity of the events, name image likeness (NIL) rights are allowing athletes to take part in brand deals, and the women’s league continues to make a bigger splash than in years past.
European streaming platform DAZN will spend more on sports rights than any other service worldwide, per February 2025 data from Ampere Analysis.
NIL fuels March Madness ad boom: College athletes are reshaping brand strategy as ad inventory sells out and real-time deals surge.
Peloton owns half of all at-home fitness market sales, according to a February Earnest Analytics survey.
This week, in-person events bring consumers closer to brands, agencies face creative challenges, and TikTok’s troubles highlight Pinterest’s potential.
This week, marketers look beyond Google Search to YouTube, ChatGPT, and Amazon, while dealing with an influx of consumer data. Meanwhile, women’s sports are on the rise as advertisers invest more in leagues, teams, and athletes.
News and magazine apps have the highest engagement score in North America, with 29% of monthly active users coming back daily, according to a September 2024 Airship survey.
Super Bowl LIX sets new all-time viewership record: The game averaged 126 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, a 2% increase from last year, with streaming playing a major role in its success.
Key stat: 19% of US adults play team sports, up from 11% in 2020, according to CivicScience, signaling that people aren’t only watching sports, they’re participating as well.
Super Bowl viewership likely slipped: Taylor and Trump probably weren’t enough to top last year’s 123.7 million viewers.
With Super Bowl ads costing around a whopping $7 million for a 30-second spot this year, viewers can expect some memorable commercials while watching the Chiefs and the Eagles face-off.
Super Bowl LIX ads showcase humor, nostalgia, and star power: Brands like Taco Bell, Budweiser, and Michelob Ultra aim for cultural impact with high-energy, social-driven campaigns.
Nostalgia meets innovation: Super Bowl advertisers mix legacy campaigns and tech-focused storytelling to connect with diverse demographics.
Connected TV (CTV) and streaming services will make new inroads this year to further capture audiences and enhance offerings to marketers. Precise measurement and predictable buys are giving those that opted out of linear TV the confidence to invest in streaming.
Auto brands will largely be absent from the Super Bowl: Once a stalwart of TV ad spending, carmakers are prioritizing cheaper ad channels.
On today's podcast episode, we discuss what the verdict is on Netflix's sports streaming experimentation and how small and mid-sized advertisers are spending more on CTV ads. Tune in to the conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Ross Benes and Vice President Paul Verna. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Disney+ Hotstar to stream Coldplay’s record-breaking India concert: The event signals its push beyond sports to premium live entertainment.