While viewers can typically find sports content throughout the year, fall sports have viewers glued to their TV screens every week – with 58% of sports impressions in 2024 generated in the fall.1 Most people think of the NFL when they hear fall sports, but it goes beyond that, with college sports accounting for 61% of sports viewership in the U.S..2
For advertisers looking to maximize their reach among highly engaged audiences within premium content there’s another game in town: college sports. And with the expansion of access to college sports across traditional TV and streaming through renewed deals with the NCAA, advertisers have more opportunities than ever to connect with sports fans outside of professional sports.
Interest is on the rise
Currently, over half of Americans watch college sports, and engagement with college sports is expected to increase almost 15% in 2025.3,4 This past college football season concluded with the most-watched bowl games in five years—a 14% increase year over year—and the 2025 National Championship game was the most-watched sporting event outside of the NFL in the 12 months prior.5
The love of college sports goes beyond the turf, with marquee events like March Madness drawing ten hours of viewing on average per household and creating a pipeline of fandom for the WNBA.6 While these tentpole college sports events have become household staples, events like the College World Series for baseball and softball saw a viewership boom last season, ushering in a new era of college sports fandom.
Increased avenues to maximize reach among fans
A recent Comcast Advertising survey found that that the typical sports fan follows multiple sports or leagues, creating many ways to reach them all year round. 98% of NFL fans also watch college football, and 90% of NBA fans also watch college basketball.7 With attention to the full duration of the ad being 10% higher on college sports than on the same professional sports,8 advertisers can maximize their efficiency while reaching many of the same fans.
This fandom extends beyond coverage of the game. More and more, fans are flocking to their TV long before the game starts, with more than 2 in 5 fans saying they tune in to sports related talk shows.3 Popular pre-game programming like College GameDay are experiencing record viewership, especially with hard-to-reach younger viewers.
The value of the hometown athlete
With the expansion of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals across all sports, local advertisers benefit from the inclusion of college athletes in creative. A recent Comcast Advertising survey found that the majority of younger viewers pay attention to ads featuring celebrities, and they like seeing local celebrities like college athletes.9
For local brands specifically, the inclusion of a celebrity in sports advertising improves the overall perception of the brand and captures viewer attention, with the right creative. In many markets, especially smaller markets with Power Four or high-winning teams, the local celebrities are collegiate athletes. The collegiate NIL landscape is valued at $1.5B,10 with women’s sports and Olympic-only sports having higher engagement, creating an ideal landscape for advertisers to reach audiences in unique and memorable ways.
Win big with college sports
Sports have long been a top genre among American audiences, often capturing some of the highest viewership numbers for live events. Due to their premium nature, they allow advertisers to effectively reach highly engaged viewers simultaneously. With the popularity continuing to expand, especially outside of the Big Four, advertisers now have more opportunity than ever to reach viewers across generations as they tune into college sports.
Learn more about advertising during college sports on traditional TV and streaming.
Sources:
1. Comcast Aggregated Viewership Data. January – December 2024.
2. Nielsen NPower Reach & Frequency Program Report. 8/1/2024 – 12/31/2024. Includes all sports events across cable, broadcast and streaming.
3. Comcast Advertising Survey. N=1000. April 2024. Qualifying Criteria: Americans who have watched sports content (game, highlights, talk show, etc…) in the past six months.
4. Big Chalk, “Perceptions of College Sports 2025,” March 2025.
5. USA Today, “CFP National Championship Game Averaged 22.1 Million Viewers, Drop from 2024 Title Game,” January 2025.
6. Comcast Aggregated Viewership Data. 3/19/2025 – 4/7/2025. 2025 NCAA Men’s & Women’s March Madness tournament games.
7. Comcast Advertising, The 2024 Sports Replay, July 2025.
8. TVision, FY 2024.
9. Comcast Advertising Survey through Dynata. August 2025. N = 1010. Qualifying Criteria: Americans who have watched TV content (cable or streaming) in the past month.
10. OpenDorse, “NIL at Four: Monetizing the New Reality,” July 2025.
