Nielsen report: US women’s sports audience and ad spend both surge

US audiences consumed 28.3 billion minutes of women’s sports in the first half of 2026, an 18 percent increase over the same period in 2025, according to Nielsen’s More Fans, More Often: The Commercial and Cultural Evolution of Women and Sports report, released August 13. That builds on a record full year in 2025, when US audiences watched 46 billion minutes of women’s sports, up 71 percent since 2022.

An estimated 122.5 million people, or 52.8 percent of the US population, now say they are interested in women’s sports, per Nielsen Fan Insights (June 2026). The share of audiences reporting “no interest” in women’s sports fell nearly 20 percent over the past three years.

Crossing over into men’s leagues

The growth is not confined to women’s leagues. Nielsen data covering live English-language broadcasts from January 2024 through mid-June 2026 shows female viewership climbing across established men’s properties: up 55 percent for the NBA and 44 percent for the NHL, with smaller gains at MLB and the PGA Tour (both 16 percent).

Nielsen also reports that 48 percent of US women now say they are very interested in at least one sport, and that women accounted for 56 percent, or roughly 9 million, of the 16 million new US sports fans gained over the past five years.

Research from The Trade Desk Intelligence and GoodQues, based on a survey of 1,000 US sports fans, adds a structural explanation: the crossover largely is not coming at the expense of men’s leagues’ existing fan bases. Ticket-buyer overlap between NBA and WNBA franchises in shared markets was found to be low, in the single digits by percentage, according to JPMorganChase transaction data cited in the report.

The report argues that women’s leagues may be expanding the overall sports audience rather than merely redistributing existing fandom.

Brands are following the audience

The number of women’s sports telecasts tracked by Nielsen Sponsorship Media Valuation rose from 621 in 2023 to 3,363 in 2025, roughly a fivefold increase in three years. Sponsor valuations over that period climbed 82 percent for the NWSL, 71 percent for the WNBA and 51 percent for the LPGA. Nielsen Ad Intel AI shows total ad spend in women’s sports up 120 percent since 2022, and 52 percent of consumers now say brands and sponsors should be investing even more.

The conversion data backs up the spend: more than 30 percent of NWSL fans say they bought a brand after seeing an in-game sponsorship, and 60 percent of women’s sports fans say they have switched brands over a company’s values or actions, against 45 percent of sports fans generally.

Independent research from WPP Media  across more than 200 creative executions in five ad categories, found that ads in women’s sports consistently outperformed comparable non-sports broadcast and cable placementson engagement and attention. Impressions in women’s sports grew 79 percent year on year, with ad spend up 69 percent. 

Case in point: Bridging the men’s World Cup to the road to Brazil 2027

One example of the pattern above playing out at a single federation: US Soccer is working to carry fandom from this summer’s men’s World Cup on US soil into next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil, according to Marketing Brew. The federation’s own research puts the post-tournament fandom window at about 90 days, chief marketing officer Catherine Newman told the outlet, a period US Soccer is using to route fans towardMLS, the NWSL and the USWNT’s October friendlies against defending champion Spain.

US Soccer House, the federation’s fan activation, drew about 45,500 visitors and featured 12 brand partners, including presenting sponsor Bank of America, Visa and Michelob Ultra, according to US Soccer figures reported by Marketing Brew, and is set to return for the Women’s World Cup. US Soccer sells sponsorship across both national teams as one package rather than separately, so the same brands largely carry over between tournaments.

Where the money goes next

But the category is still underpriced relative to its growth trajectory. A McKinsey analysis cited in a Bank of America Institute report projects that US women’s sports revenue could grow 250 percent, to $2.5 billion, between 2024 and 2030.

Fan loyalty could add to that opportunity. The Trade Desk and GoodQues found that 62 percent of women’s sports fans say they would rather follow individual athletes than commit to one team, against 59 percent of men’s sports fans who prefer following a single team, a dynamic that favors athlete partnerships and NIL-style deals over traditional team sponsorship packages alone.