Tops of sports
Media trends shaping sports marketing for 2026
Discover sports fan behavior trends from 2025 and insights fueling the industry to plan your sports sponsorship strategy with confidence.
Sports fans have all eyes on 2026. This year is shaping up as one of the biggest in global sports viewership and engagement, with Super Bowl LX and the Winter Olympics as the next highly anticipated moments in media. In fact, last yearโs Super Bowl LIX drew over 127M viewers, but data from our Tops of Sports report reveals key demographic differences between broadcast and streaming viewersโdo you know where your target audiences are?
Fans are also buzzing with excitement around the FIFA World Cup 2026โข where 37% of the general population in the U.S. expect their interest in the sport to increase. In todayโs competitive sports sponsorship market, now is the pivotal opportunity for brands and advertisers to plan ahead based on what happens both before and after this yearโs upcoming major sporting events.
Inside our Tops of Sports report, youโll discover:
Viewership and fanbase growth
Sports fandoms are growing. Ahead of major events like the FIFA World Cup 2026โข, soccerโs popularity is on the rise in the U.S., now boasting 62M fans as the fourth largest fanbase globally. And baseball, golf, basketball, and softball are also making gains in audience viewership and strengthening their fanbases.
Streaming impact
Streaming is changing the game for live sports through multiplatform viewing and creating new pathways for engagement by reaching wider audiences. Streaming sports documentaries are also keeping fansโ attention, reaching 16,937 million total viewing minutes in 2024, an 113% increase from 2021โand 2025 is on pace to finish with a similar total.
Sponsorship value
Sports sponsors have valuable exposure opportunities in leagues like the NBA and MLB, representing $515 million in media value for brands in 2025. MLB postseason excitement following Shohei Ohtani and the L.A. Dodgers unlocked new opportunities to reach fans from diverse backgrounds.
Start your 2026 strategy now.
