Buyers recently told ADWEEK that sports, specifically the NFL and college football, would be the most coveted inventory this upfront season, with the NFL regularly seeing around 90% sellout from the upfront.

Though not the sole cause, experts have attributed some of the recent interest surge in the sport to the “Swift Effect,” thanks to Taylor Swift’s whirlwind romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, which began in 2023. Swift was present again at Thursday night’s game, and of course, Swifties took note of her attendance.

Kelce himself has also become a powerhouse in the advertising world.

Call it the “Travis Kelce effect,” but according to television data and analytics firm EDO, Kelce’s ads for brands like Campbell’s, DirecTV, and Pfizer last year were 15%, 24%, and 27% more effective, respectively, than the ads without him. After his relationship with Swift went public, Kelce’s ads with Pfizer and Experian were 9% and 13% more effective when they were featured during a game in which Swift made an appearance.

“[Swift] is a phenomenon that transcends everything, but Kelce has done an amazing job of turning that into standalone stardom,” Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO, told ADWEEK earlier this month.

Whatever the case for the NFL, the sport’s Swift ratings climb continues.