HOW SPORTS CONTENT GETS PLAYED

American culture and sport are inseparable. We play them, watch them, bet on them, talk about and bond over them – incessantly! Fanatical fans paint their bodies, wear lucky clothes, and will travel endless miles in order to support the teams and athletes they obsess about.

Staggering Statistics

The Chiefs-Dolphins Wild Card game that aired exclusively on Peacock in January 2024 became the most-streamed live event in US history with 23 million viewers.¹

“…the most-streamed live event in US history”

It will lead up to the Superbowl, and if last year’s 115.1 million viewership is anything to go by, it will once again become America’s most watched television event.² Even more remarkably, long before the first ball of the 2024 season is even snapped, over 50 million viewers will likely tune in to watch the NFL draft. This is like crowds showing up for the casting of a movie that hasn’t even been made.

Fans want community and great stories

So, why does this happen? Why is it that we glue ourselves to our TVs and mobile devices whenever our favorite team is playing? Because sports is storytelling at its very best. Riveting. Unpredictable. Heart-breaking and hair raising. The ultimate escape. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing, it creates community and a sense of belonging. And as a result, 160 million people in the US watched live sport at least once a month in 2023.³ And 13% of all adults in the US watch live sports on television almost daily according to Statistica.

Quality narratives

Marketing to this audience effectively is more involved than selecting action moments and pretty pictures. It requires projecting back to viewers the same level of passion and knowledge of a sport that they, themselves, possess. Successful sports content and advertising gets played because it knows the athletes, understands the traditions and is aware of the narratives driving that sport at any particular moment in time. It all comes back to great storytelling.