EDO report reveals a surge in women's sports viewership in 2024 fueled ad growth.
Women’s sports continue scoring big.
Today, a new report from TV outcomes and data company EDO revealed that women’s sports spiked to a 56% increase in ad effectiveness year over year, fueled by a 131% increase in viewership in 2024. Women’s sports ads also brought 40% more ad impact than the average primetime ad last year.
According to EDO, brands such as Skims, Fabletics, Bombas, Vuori, and Athleta ranked among the most effective women’s sports TV advertisers last year, with the company measuring consumer behaviors such as brand searches and site visits.
“Women’s sports are officially a business imperative,” Laura Grover, svp, head of client solutions at EDO, said in a statement. “As investment accelerates, outcomes have never been more critical. It’s not just about reaching this fast-growing audience—it’s about inspiring action, building brand affinity, and driving real business impact.”
Among the report’s findings, consumer engagement continues to grow around women’s basketball, with ads during the 2024 WNBA playoffs bringing 24% more effectiveness than those during average primetime programs, an increase of 11% year over year. The Women’s NCAA tournament also brought 18% more effectiveness than primetime averages.
Meanwhile, other sports, including NCAA volleyball, are also continuing to spike.
“Professional and collegiate basketball programming has been a major driver of TV outcomes, and this success is extending to more niche collegiate women’s sports, such as gymnastics, lacrosse, and volleyball,” Grover said.
EDO points out that the 2024 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship Game between Penn State and Louisville was 51% more effective for advertisers than the average primetime program. In addition, women’s college gymnastics and college lacrosse had growth of 15% and 26% in ad effectiveness, respectively.
Companies should also keep contextual relevance in mind, with sports-themed ads and ads featuring women athletes posting increased effectiveness.
Running up the score
Going into 2025, a report from Wasserman’s women-focused practice, The Collective, and RBC found that the shifts in women’s sports within the last year have set leagues up for future growth.
According to the report, TV viewership is expected to grow 32% for the WNBA and 24% for the NWSL by 2027. During that time, which includes the start of the new WNBA media rights deal in 2026, team valuations for both leagues are expected to rise from $2.6 billion for 26 teams to $4.3 billion for 32 teams—with increases in live attendance and TV viewership driving the majority of that growth.
“The rising impact of women’s sports is one of the clearest ad trends heading into 2025. Last year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship set a new viewership record, with consumers 18% more likely to engage than the primetime average—an encouraging sign for this year’s tournament,” Grover said. “As national viewing opportunities expand across leagues like the NWSL and WNBA with expanding media rights deals, brands will have even more avenues to leverage women’s sports and drive full-funnel impact through deeper audience engagement.”
See EDO’s 2025 Women’s Sports TV Outcomes Report.
Source: adweek.com