Key stat: NCAA football collected 37.9% of its season's linear TV ad spending in November alone, according to an August EMARKETER analysis of iSpot data.

Beyond the chart:

• November's crush comes at a premium. Advertisers already pay about twice as much for live sports placements as for general entertainment TV, even when reaching a similarly sized audience, according to Skybeam.
• Meanwhile, January's rebound pays off for brands that stick around. Among college football postseason viewers, 55.2% could recall at least one brand sponsor, and the top national championship sponsors beat most Super Bowl advertisers on unaided recall, according to Big Chalk Analytics.

Use this chart: Drop this into your fall sports planning deck to show when college football inventory gets crowded. Use it to argue for locking in September and October games early, or for grabbing December slots while other brands pull back before bowl season.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• US Football Advertising 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• US Sports Time Spent 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)