The news: Niche sports podcasts are driving higher returns for marketers compared with podcasts centered on major leagues like the NFL, according to an Oxford Road study. Sixty-seven percent of the top shows for advertisers assessed by Oxford Road came from niche sports.

• Motorsports alone accounted for over a quarter of the 15 top-performing shows and was one of the most reliable performers thanks to Formula One and NASCAR’s more than 8-month seasons. That gives advertisers consistency that content centered on short-lived spikes like the Super Bowl don’t provide.
• Participatory sports like fantasy, hunting, and golf made up 45% of the top 15. Oxford Road attributes this to participatory sports’ ability to help the listener improve their sporting skills, something a passive show like general sports commentary doesn’t offer.
• Ritual scheduling drove attention. Daily podcasts ranked in the first and second spots in Oxford Road’s ranking.
• The NFL off-season drove performance 2.4 times higher than in-season shows.

Why it works: Niche sports offer marketers a combination of high engagement, loyal audiences, and growth potential.

• Ads in genres like women’s sports deliver 40% higher engagement than the average primetime TV ad.
• This effectiveness has grown 56% YoY, highlighting consistent momentum around sports categories with smaller, but growing, audiences.
• Niche sports attract loyal fan bases and build strong communities. Seventy-eight percent of overall sports audio listeners take action after hearing a podcast ad and 55% have purchased as a result, per GroupM and Edison Research.
• That loyalty translates into meaningful business outcomes for advertisers investing in tightly defined fan communities that niche sports are more likely to foster.

What marketers should do: Look to niche sports with smaller audiences to capitalize on sports podcasts' potential to convert listeners into buyers, but understand the specific strategies that connect with viewers to yield the best results.

• Despite a smaller audience, off-season podcasts are less crowded with ads and draw in hardcore, loyal fans more likely to convert. Investing in mainstream sports podcasts during the off-season between February-August will help brands reach highly engaged fans with less ad clutter and stronger conversion potential.
• Listeners are most likely to pay attention to podcast ads that are casually mentioned during the show (59% of US listeners), host-read (52%), and stories or interviews sponsored by brands (50%), per National Research Group. Creating ads that naturally fit these formats will drive action.