Explosive growth for ads in women sports on TV
Women sports on TV are attracting advertisers! Women’s sports saw record growth across every major TV benchmark last year. Overall advertiser spend and ad impressions more than doubled from 2023, TV advertising US research firm EDO says in a new report. “This explosive growth spanned every women’s sports category, from NCAA college basketball, lacrosse, and gymnastics to U.S. Open tennis and the WNBA”, writes Laura Grover, the company’s SVP.
“Staying on the sidelines of Women’s Sports is an increasingly risky bet. The data is clear, the audience is engaged, and the cultural momentum is unstoppable. The only remaining question is: will your brand be remembered as a women’s sports leader — or a latecomer in what’s quickly becoming advertising’s most valuable playing field?”
The report says estimated investment in women’s sports grew 139% from 2023, totaling $244M in 2024.
And this money was wisely spent, the report says: the average ad during women’s sports programming generated 40% more impact than the average primetime ad.
Examples in the report is that the 2024 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship Game between Penn State and Louisville was 51% more effective for advertisers than the average primetime program.
“Elsewhere, women’s college gymnastics and college lacrosse posted year-over-year ad effectiveness growth of 15% and 26%, respectively.”
“Ads during the 2024 WNBA playoffs were 24% more effective than those during the average primetime program — up 11% year-over-year.
Women’s sport is registering record audiences across a wide range of sports according to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
But the gender gap in sports persists: No women feature among the Forbes 2024 list of 100 highest-paid athletes in the world and prize money for women’s sport continues to lag behind men’s.
There is a growing interest in women’s sports as investment opportunities! Sports have become a highly sought after asset class for private equity firms, financial data firm PitchBook says in a report.
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