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Sports, one of the biggest topics of discussion on X, has been growing consistently on Threads. Sports-related creators have grown follower communities by nearly a million users collectively, per Meta data, and sports represents the fastest-growing category of 鈥渋nfluential creators鈥� on the platform.

The campaign taps into the 鈥渉uman instinct we can feel when playing 蝉辫辞谤迟鈥� and urges consumers to 鈥渦nleash their wild energy鈥� through sports, per a release. 鈥淲e believe that it鈥檚 not just hard work that leads to excellence,鈥� said Richard Teyssier, global vice president of brand and marketing at Puma. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a human behind the athlete and they need to enjoy what they do to do it well.鈥�.

Oscars-related content isn鈥檛 the only casualty鈥�sports and gaming are also heavily impacted. Simply blocking words like 鈥渟hot鈥� or 鈥渟hoot鈥� greatly reduces access to sports content and only 43% of content related to Super Bowl LIX and the 2024 Paris Olympics were classified as safe, per Mantis.

An unlikely alliance: Lowe鈥檚 teamed up with Electronic Arts鈥� EA Sports unit and will be featured in several video games, including Madden NFL. The deal also includes a real-life interactive experience that will travel around the US to engage consumers during the upcoming pro football season.

The opportunity: Hispanic viewers offer marketers a chance to tap into a diverse, rapidly growing consumer segment that is highly engaged with sports media and has significant buying power. Hispanic audiences have helped popularize soccer in the US, but their viewership of other sports is rapidly rising. Since 2021, Hispanic Super Bowl viewership has grown 51%.

Courting upscale bargain hunters: Other retailers that are benefiting as higher-end consumers trade down include Dollar General and Academy Sports, The Wall Street Journal reported. Off-price chains like TJX also stand to gain as well-to-do shoppers economize.

That blend of entertainment and live sports could help insulate Disney from broader market pressures鈥攅specially as consumer wallets tighten. Looking ahead: Disney+ is projected to generate $4.12 billion in US subscription revenues in 2025, per our forecast. That鈥檚 up 8.6% from the prior year, while its ad-supported tier should bring in $1.27 billion鈥攎arking a 20.1% increase.

With billions committed to live sports rights, media companies may further deprioritize scripted programming in favor of lower-cost unscripted content, putting creative innovation at risk. Licensing deals could stall.

Disney dropped to second place, partly due to the February absence of major sports events like the NFL Playoffs and College Football Championship, which boosted its January numbers. Fox climbed to third, thanks to Super Bowl LVIII, viewership across Tubi, and strong performances from Fox Sports 1 and Fox News. What sets YouTube apart is its lack of reliance on tentpole programming.

The Chicago Sun-Times laid off 20% of its staff, including nearly the entire editorial board and key sports reporters. The cuts, meant to save $4.2 million annually, sparked protests from union members concerned about the newsroom鈥檚 future.

For WBD, a potential spin-off of linear assets could help streaming growth, and Paramount must continue investing in sports and blockbuster content. Both companies will need to keep delivering streaming hits and managing costs prudently amid external pressures like trade disruptions and cautious consumer spending.

This collaboration combined sports and wellness, offering listeners a unique experience. Walmart x Celebrity Moms: Walmart launched the 鈥淢oms Answer Moms鈥� TikTok series, where consumers could ask parenting questions to celebrity mothers like Paris Hilton and Whitney Cummings. The campaign鈥檚 top video amassed over 120 million views and sparked a 5,000-comment thread of mothers sharing advice.

Beyond the chart:. 28% of US adults are willing to pay an additional fee for better seats at a concert or sporting event, according to September 2024 data from Ipsos. Almost half (49.4%) of Gen Zers skip events because of high ticket prices, per July 2024 Merge data.

He is returning the company鈥檚 focus to sports and performance, and increasing the brand鈥檚 visibility during big sporting events like the Super Bowl. Nike is also trying to reclaim its reputation as an innovator after years of focusing almost exclusively on its most profitable franchises.

The news: The NFL wants to expand its international series from five this year and eight in 2025 to a full 16-game season, per Front Office Sports, in a bid to increase the sport鈥檚 international popularity and secure another lucrative foreign rights package. Commissioner Roger Goodell also hinted at a potential overseas Super Bowl.

ESPN鈥檚 inventory for the 奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 Final Four is already gone, highlighting rising interest in women鈥檚 sports and female NIL talent. Kansas State guard Serena Sundell landed a NIL deal with Buffalo Wild Wings after her buzzer-beater, per the Topeka Capital-Journal, showcasing how real-time moments are becoming activation triggers.

Other brands like Sports Illustrated have received backlash in the past for having AI-generated articles published under fake author names, with the fallout leading to the company鈥檚 CEO being fired. Our take: The fake KFC ad underscores a real concern: if small creators can face massive backlash for unethical AI use, brands need to be careful with hasty adoption.

Snap is increasingly positioning itself as a go-to platform for sports-related advertising, with brands like Uber Eats, Nerds, and DraftKings leveraging Snapchat's AR and creator tools around the Super Bowl. If Snap can establish itself as a key player in sports marketing, it could unlock a lucrative ad category.

The network now produces over 50 podcasts and more than 100 hours of weekly content, covering sports, pop culture, politics, and technology, according to Variety. Zooming out: Spotify is facing more competition from YouTube and other video platforms, making it important to retain key talent. YouTube is in Spotify鈥檚 cross hairs.

Domestic publishers like Bell Media, Rogers Sports and Media, CBC/Radio-Canada, and Quebecor Media are improving their digital portfolios. These companies dominate traditional ad spending, which amounted to 24.2% of total ad spending in 2024. Their digital arms didn鈥檛 compete well with the tech giants initially.

As sports gambling becomes legal in a growing number of US states following the Supreme Court鈥檚 landmark decision in 2018, the industry is rolling past obstacles and raking in billions from a rising pool of bettors.

奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 sports are fast becoming a lucrative opportunity for many brands, helped by the rising popularity of the WNBA and other leagues. Nike made female athletes the centerpiece of its Super Bowl ad, its first in nearly 30 years鈥攁 clear sign of its focus as it tries to reboot sales.

For awards shows and sports, real-time engagement is everything鈥攙iewers expect flawless live streaming, not just a replay. The Oscars meltdown is part of a broader trend of technical failures in live streaming. As platforms continue to replace traditional TV, ensuring reliability will be essential to retaining subscribers and securing exclusive event partnerships in the future.

Live sports programming has become the biggest variable, although growth is difficult to achieve no matter what. Peacock grew its time spent the most last year, thanks overwhelmingly to sports. Amazon Prime Video will top the active user growth list this year for the same reason. Disney+ is also growing well, but mainly because Disney is allowing it to steal engagement from Hulu.