5 Things Advertisers Need to Know to Get in on the Action
In today’s crowded media landscape where attention is hard-won and harder kept, sports continue to shatter viewership records delivering millions of highly engaged fans year after year. In fact, sports accounted for 96% of the most-watched programming last year.1 And where audiences go, brands and advertisers follow. eMarketer projects that total TV ad spend for sports, across both traditional and streaming, will climb to nearly $25B by 2030.2 To help advertisers better optimize their sports investments, Comcast Advertising analyzed more than 80,000 multiscreen TV campaigns.
Sports is a communal experience bringing fans – and brands – together. A recent analysis found that live sports reach more than 91% of Comcast households.3 What’s more, over one-third of households would be missed without sports. When added to a multiscreenTV campaign, sports are responsible for 35% of unique household reach.4
Fans often enjoy sports programming in groups, giving advertisers more value per impression by reaching multiple viewers at once.
Even as more sports shift to streaming, traditional TV remains the preferred choice for sports content consumption. Across the most popular sports categories, time spent with traditional TV more than doubles that of streaming.6
However, streaming plays a critical role in reaching cord-cutting households. More than 75% of streaming sports are delivered to households without traditional TV service.7
A multiscreen TV approach is essential to maximizing campaign reach. By incorporating streaming into a TV sports buy, advertisers can increase ad impressions by more than +50%.8
85% of sports fans prefer to watch sports on TV than rather in-person9
2.2X more households watch live sportson traditional TV than on streaming6
Adding streaming to a traditional TV campaign increases ad impressions by +50%8
Traditional TV vs. Streaming
While the Big Four – NFL, MLB, NHL, & NBA – deliver a large majority of sports impressions, more than a third come from other sports like college football and golf.10 With large followings of their own, they present additional opportunities for advertisers to connect with both devoted and casual sports fans.
Advertisers should look beyond the game itself: More than 40% of households that watch sports tune into non-game content such as pre-game coverage and talk shows (e.g. First Take, College Game Day, etc…).3
By investing in a wider variety of sports categories and shoulder content, brands can unlock greater access to highly engaged audiences and increase the overall impact of their campaign.
College football playoff ads garner 45X higher viewer engagement than the average primetime TV ad11
NFL superfans are 148% more likely to also watch golf than the average viewer12
NBA superfans are 132% more likely to watch soccer that the average viewer12
41% of sports-viewing HHs tune into shoulder content (e.g. pre-game, talk shows, etc.)3
Over the last few years, interest in women’s sports has steadily grown. In 2025 alone, U.S. sports fans spent over 46 billions hours watching women’s sports, including the WNBA, LPGA, and more.13
Women’s sports fandom is predominately made up of men.14 Highly sought after superfans of the Big Four are more likely to engage with certain women’s sports than the average viewer. For example, NBA superfans are +319% more likely to watch the WNBA, and NFL superfans are +142% more likely to watch to women’s college basketball.12 Women’s sports audiences are also more likely to watch the entire game than viewers of other sports.
Advertisers can capitalize on the success of women’s sports to expand reach and engage with more attentive audiences.
NFL superfans are 159% more likely to watch the WNBA than the average viewer12
114% increase YoY in time spent with women’s sports among Comcast HHs3
Women’s sports viewers are +24% more likely to watch the full game compared to men’s sports viewers14
Sports fan stay locked in on the action all year round. While it’s true that viewership increases with the kickoff of fall sports, over 90% of households still tune in during the summer.3 In fact, summer sports advertisers reach 5.8X more households than those who only air at other times of the year.15
Seasons aside, advertising consistently throughout the year is key to campaign success. In a comparison of two similar furniture retailers – one advertising in sports for four consecutive months and the other for ten – the more consistent advertiser delivered 3.1X more impressions per month on average.16
Always-on strategies help brands stay top of mind, building familiarity and driving results across the funnel.
According to a consumer study, avid fans – those who watch 5+ hours of sports content per week – are 19% more likely to convert than the average fan, and 46% have purchased a product they saw while watching live sports.9
Sports is a powerful way to reach highly engaged, diverse audiences at scale.
Scroll through the following carousel to see how advertisers win with sports.
Ads shown during the World Series reach 1.4X more HHs than ads that run during other programs19
Postseason ads are +17% more likely to be seen by 2+ people5
The situation:
Two furniture retailers advertised during sports. Advertiser A aired for 10 consecutive months. Advertiser B only aired for 4 consecutive months.
The results:
By being consistent, Advertiser A delivered 3.1X more impressions per month on average16
We’ll put you in front of the right audience at the right time to drive real results.
Let’s connect, whether you have questions or
are ready to create the right campaign for your business