Marketers Turn To Women’s Sports For Engagement, Value, Loyal Fans.

Women’s sports are emerging as a growing opportunity for advertisers, delivering strong audience engagement and expanding viewership while offering a less crowded and often less expensive alternative to major sports properties.

According to industry forecasts cited by Emarketer, viewership for women’s live sports is expected to increase 6.9% this year, significantly outpacing the 0.4% growth projected for live sports overall. The trend is drawing increased attention from marketers seeking to connect with dedicated audiences without the high costs associated with events such as the Super Bowl.

The rise in interest extends beyond broadcasts. SponsorUnited reported that name, image and likeness (NIL) deal volume involving female athletes increased 36% year over year in 2024, surpassing growth among male athletes. Women’s basketball has also overtaken men’s basketball in NIL deal activity.

Industry analysts say female athletes are increasingly becoming influential marketing partners in addition to competitors on the field or court. The growing popularity of women’s sports is what led iHeartMedia to launch the Women’s Sports Audio Network with Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment in June 2024.

“Brands are increasingly investing in athlete-creators who bring highly engaged, loyal audiences and the kind of authentic connection that traditional advertising simply can’t replicate,” Bess Devenow, Senior Strategic Insights and Communications Manager at Vantage, tells Emarketer.

Recent research suggests those investments are generating results. A 2025 report from EDO found that advertisements aired during women’s live sports produced a 40% greater impact on consumer engagement than the average primetime commercial. The NCAA Women’s College Volleyball Championship Game generated a 3.5-fold increase in advertising impact, while the 2025 NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament drove a 334% increase in engagement, according to Nexxen Discovery.

Female athletes have also become dominant figures on social media. SponsorUnited found women accounted for 75% of the top 150 most engaging athlete social media posts during the 2024-25 season and 66% of mid-engagement posts. Research from the Women’s Sport Trust showed female athletes generated 61% of all views among the 50 most marketable athletes on TikTok and were responsible for 80% of athlete-created content on the platform.

The growing influence of women’s sports is also evident in professional leagues. The WNBA reported nearly 2 billion views across its social media platforms during the 2024 season, along with a 252% year-over-year increase in app users and a 250% increase in TikTok views.

As audiences continue to expand and engagement metrics remain strong, marketers are increasingly viewing women’s sports as a way to build brand loyalty and establish long-term relationships with consumers in an environment that remains less saturated than many traditional sports advertising platforms.