Published July 6
Here’s the deal:
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Live sports are one of the last bastions of the TV monoculture. And advertisers aren’t shying away.
According to recent data from EMarketer, TV ad spending in the U.S. on sports content will grow by more than $5 billion over the next four years, up 27%, from $19.5 billion this year to $24.8 billion through 2030.
These figures include both linear and connected TV (CTV) ad spending across live sports and league events like drafts, as well as related programming like pre- and postgame shows.
But here’s the twist on live sports. CTV is projected to grow at a faster rate than linear: The former will increase from $3.5 billion to $7.2 billion, while the latter will grow from about $16 billion to $17.6 billion, according to EMarketer.
Data debrief:
Sports TV ad spending is further projected to increase at an accelerated pace, growing faster than the overall TV ad market. EMarketer predicts total U.S. TV ad spending to grow 6.6% through 2030. Sports TV ad spend will see a 27% jump.
Of live sports ad spend, the NFL is by far the leader. According to EMarketer, it accounts for nearly half, at 47%. The NBA follows with almost 11%.
But, in general, major sporting events command large sums. The report indicated that this year’s Winter Olympics, NBA All-Star Game and Super Bowl generated over $2 billion in ad sales for NBCUniversal.
Why it matters:
Sports fans aren’t just a scaled audience; they’re a highly engaged one. According to a recent Nielsen survey, over half of fans of major sports leagues say they would choose a sponsor’s product over rival brands.
So it’s not that surprising that, for instance, NBA team sponsorship revenue jumped 11% year over year during the 2025-2026 season, according to new research from SponsorUnited.
“Marketers that invest in sports buy into the idea that sports fans are receptive to in-game sponsors, and that receptive audiences result in impactful advertising,” wrote EMarketer analyst Ross Benes.
