Advertisers see their ads overperform across women’s sports in 2024

The GIST: Women’s sports grew in just about every way last year, including on the ad side. A new report from TV marketing firm EDO illustrates how much advertisers were willing to spend in the women’s sports industry and what they got out of it. Let’s dive into the numbers.

📺 $244M: The total ad spend in women’s sports, marking a 139% increase YoY. This was driven by a 131% jump in TV viewership for women’s sports, with women’s basketball receiving the largest chunk of ad spend.

🔎 40%: The increase in impact for ads that aired during women’s sports programs compared to the average primetime advertisements, according to brand searches after these spots aired. That’s not surprising considering the brand loyalty and awareness among women’s sports fans. Here for it.

🥍 25%: How much ad effectiveness increased when brands advertised around NCAA women’s lacrosse, which was the most engaging women’s sports event for advertisers in 2024. The US Open women’s singles action, women’s March Madness, college gymnastics, and the WNBA all followed closely behind.

⭐ 103%: The increase in ad efficacy when a WNBA player starred in an ad during a W game, with the NWSL also seeing 39% more efficacy when ads during their games starred its athletes. Plus, certain players drove more brand value: State Farm spots with USC standout JuJu Watkins were 20% more impactful than the company’s average commercial. Nothing average here.