Live sports keep delivering: But record audiences and billions of ad impressions are making premium rights harder to secure—and costlier.
Handbag and accessory brand Caraa launched a new collaboration to build a close connection between athletes and consumers, tapping into the lifestyle surrounding the sport through highly relevant products and actual fencing team members. Although this campaign leans into athletes, it also aims to make lifestyle connections similar to sports creator campaigns, which are growing in popularity, especially among younger consumers.
A Lids partnership and private-label pop-up keep assortments fresh and relevant.
Women’s sports deliver standout ROI: Faster audience gains and 40% higher ad impact make them a cost-efficient play.
Sports deals can fuel year-round community investment, not just brand exposure.
Auto industry TV ad spend plummets: A 32% drop in May reflects high consumer costs and a focus on sports inventory.
NBA Finals rewrite the playbook: Knicks-Spurs series draws 19.1 million average viewers, up 114% YoY, proving sports’ scale edge across TV, social media.
World Cup attention rewards bold brands: Young fans flock to podcasts and vertical video, making TV-only buys a miss.
World Cup betting frenzy will shine a spotlight on the growing consumer health risks tied to online sports gambling.
Paid search ad clicks in the jobs and education industry fell 13.1% YoY in Q1 2026, a stark reversal from the same category's 254% growth in Q1 2025, according to an April report from Skai.
Sports has long been the go-to for high-intent connected TV (CTV) audiences, but that strategy is starting to plateau. Lifestyle content is emerging as a more consistent driver of engagement, attention, and purchase behavior.
World Cup boom meets border clampdown: $13B tourney drives record US ads as visa curbs recast stadium crowds and brand plans.
When Caitlin Clark suffered an injury that sidelined her for much of the 2025 season after a transformative 2024 rookie year, concerns emerged about the WNBA's trajectory. But the league proved resilient, with viewership recovering to 2024 levels by season's end despite an initial 55% drop in the two weeks following her injury, according to USA Today.
Nike reclaims cultural clout with the World Cup by embracing a viral casting miss
$2.25M in tickets for veterans ties brand trust to affluent World Cup fans.
TikTok launches events app: The app makes cultural moments interactive, giving advertisers access to deeper data and encouraging more user engagement.
A 10-year deal boosts the Chinese brand’s US ambitions.
World Cup’s US reality check: Just 10% of Americans show interest, limiting US scale—but not broader global appeal.
On today’s podcast episode, we explore the “Clarkonomics” phenomenon by examining basketball superstar Caitlin Clark’s massive economic impact, discuss which women’s sport and athlete could be next to break out, and look at how marketers can capitalize on the growing popularity of women’s sports without getting left behind. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and Analyst Paola Flores-Marquez. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube and Spotify.
Sports fuels streaming catalogs: SVOD sports titles jumped 77.5%, giving marketers premium digital arenas.