The game plan is around sports
Heading into the 2024-2025 upfront, buyers told ADWEEK they are largely focused on streaming inventory, data-driven linear and—most importantly—sports.
“It’s not linear versus streaming anymore,” the first buyer said. “It’s sports, which kind of transcends linear and streaming. It’s above everything.”
Live sports had a record year in 2023, coming in as 96 of the top 100 most-watch programs in the U.S., with the NFL tackling the majority of the spots. Sports also took most of the top 200 programs, with college sports, NBA and even Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football making strong appearances.
“Sports is continuing, and even more so this year, where we’re going to see the only strong demand,” a fourth buyer said. “And not even sports, probably football being the strongest one, maybe NBA.”
Though news in an election year is on the table for categories such as entertainment and pharma, the divided political landscape and a focus on brand safety also have marketers looking to sports as a go-to for reaching large general audiences, according to buyers.
Showcasing the importance of sports, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and Fox are also launching their digital MVPD sports collaboration in the fall, giving each of the companies incremental reach on distribution.
The rise in women’s sports
Coming off of a record-breaking NCAA women’s basketball tournament, women’s sports is also one of the newer focuses this year, with several publishers recently telling ADWEEK they’ve noticed increased client interest.
Disney ad sales president Rita Ferro told ADWEEK that brands are “really getting involved” with women’s sports. Meanwhile, Paramount ad sales boss John Halley said there’s “no question” about clients’ increased women’s sports interest.
It’s really sports, which kind of transcends linear and streaming. It’s above everything.
—a media buyer on the importance of sports in the upfront
“Women’s sports are generating the economic value for advertising, which is the engine of money for sports,” Kevin Krim, president and CEO of EDO, said. “The ecosystem has now caught up. All this moves over time, but we’re not far from a moment where, in a sport like basketball, you’re gonna start to get relatively comparable compensation.”
Buyers noted they wouldn’t be surprised to see an increase in women’s sports spending this year, with spend shifting from linear entertainment properties. Further boosting those opportunities, GroupM previously announced a women’s sports marketplace launching at the upfront, and Sports Innovation Lab’s Women’s Sports Club at the NewFronts also had the goal of connecting buyers with organizations representing women’s sports.