Teads research: sports moments reward brands across all screens

Major sporting events have long been the highest-priced real estate in advertising – prized for scale, cultural relevance and concentrated attention. But new research from advertising platform Teads suggests the industry has been using too narrow a lens. Reach in the live moment matters. Consistency across screens and across the full event window matters even more.

Published March 18, the Getting Ahead of the Game report draws on a survey of 9,000 consumers across nine countries – conducted with market research firm Censuswide – to map when and how sports audiences engage with brands around ten major events scheduled for 2026, from the FIFA World Cup and Winter Olympics to Formula 1, Wimbledon and NBA Playoffs. The findings carry direct commercial implications for sporting goods brands, which rank among the most-noticed advertising categories at those events.

1. Not one audience, but five – and each needs a different approach
2. Three windows of receptivity, and the biggest one is not the broadcast
3. Connected TV and editorial outperform social for brand discovery
4. Consistent cross-screen presence converts intent into purchase
5. How brands can win with cross-screen, always-on activation

Not one audience, but five – and each needs a different approach

The report’s first analytical contribution is a segmentation of the sports fan landscape into five behaviorally distinct groups: Superfans (20 percent of the global sample), Dedicated fans (30 percent), Casual fans (30 percent), Festive fans (9 percent) and Non-sporting fans (11 percent). The optimal message differs for each.

Superfans seek brand integration within the sport itself; casual viewers respond to emotion and national pride; festive fans prioritize shared experiences and promotional mechanics; non-sporting fans engage with event-adjacent entertainment rather than the game.

Large-scale global competitions skew toward casual and festive viewers. The FIFA World Cup and the Winter Olympics draw proportionally larger casual audiences than annual fixtures such as the UEFA Champions League or Formula 1, where dedicated fans dominate. For sporting goods brands planning event-linked campaigns, this distinction shapes everything from the creative brief to channel allocation.

Generationally, Millennials over-index as Superfans by seven percentage points relative to the global sample average, while Gen Z leads in casual and festive categories – audiences more likely to engage with entertainment content and social sharing around the event than the competition itself.

Three windows of receptivity, and the biggest one is not the broadcast

The report identifies three distinct periods in which fan openness to brand messaging concentrates, and they do not map neatly onto the live transmission.

The ”Adrenaline Halo” – the window immediately before or after a match – captures 27 percent of fans at peak receptivity. The ”Live Moment” captures an equivalent 27 percent during active play. But the largest single window is the ”Tournament Backbone”: 37 percent of fans are most receptive to brand content outside any individual game, across the full duration of the competition.

The commercial implication is that brands which restrict activity to the broadcast hour are reaching only a fraction of their most receptive audience. Consistent presence across the event calendar, rather than spike-and-withdraw activation, correlates more strongly with brand consideration outcomes.

Jarreau Brown, Brand Manager, Sprite Trademark at The Coca-Cola Company, captured the underlying dynamic in a quote included in the report: “Attention is so fragmented now; actually having eyes on the same thing is really important.”

This pattern is amplified for younger cohorts. Millennials’ overall openness to trying new brands during sports moments reaches 61 percent – ten percentage points above the global average. Among superfans overall, brand consideration uplift from advertising alongside sports content reaches 28 percentage points.

Connected TV and editorial outperform social for brand discovery

The channel picture will spark debate in marketing departments. Among the platforms where fans discover brands during tournaments, connected TV (CTV) at 29 percent, sports sites at 30 percent and news sites at 31 percent collectively outrank social media at 21 percent. Social accounts for a significant share of second-screen activity – 54 percent of multi-screeners use messaging apps during games – but it underperforms editorial and CTV environments as a discovery channel.

Among Formula 1 viewers, CTV delivers a ten-percentage-point uplift over the global average for brand discovery. Among dedicated fans, sports sites see a five-point uplift. The finding aligns with broader advertising-trust research that distinguishes premium editorial contexts from social feed environments.

Two-thirds of fans watch major events at home. Of these, 70 percent use linear television as their primary screen, while 46 percent also use CTV – a figure that rises by five points among FIFA World Cup viewers and by ten points among Formula 1 audiences, reflecting the streaming shift accelerating in motorsport.

Separately, 56 percent of fans use a second screen during events, rising eleven points among Gen Z and Millennials and twenty-one points among respondents with the highest sports interest. Second-screen behavior extends well beyond social commentary: 30 percent shop online during tournaments, and 24 percent purchase event-related products, indicating an active commercial window alongside the broadcast.

Consistent cross-screen presence converts intent into purchase

The report’s most commercially direct data concern the relationship between multi-platform presence and buying behavior. Among all respondents, 47 percent say cross-platform advertising improves brand recall; 49 percent say it increases purchase likelihood. For Millennials, purchase intent with consistent cross-screen exposure rises to 59 percent. Among respondents with high sports interest, recall reaches 61 percent and purchase intent reaches 63 percent.

Caroline Hugonenc, SVP, Data & Insights at Teads, framed the structural shift: “Sports moments have evolved into continuous attention ecosystems that extend well beyond the live event itself. Audiences move seamlessly across screens, creating multiple points of influence for brands.”

Sportswear is the second most-noticed brand category at major tournaments, averaging 32 percent visibility across the sample – rising seven percentage points among FIFA World Cup audiences and by the same margin among tennis Grand Slam viewers. Technology brands see the largest uplift at Formula 1 specifically (nine percentage points), reflecting the event’s established technology brand architecture.

How brands can win with cross-screen, always-on activation

For brands with existing event sponsorships – particularly in football, tennis and running – the data strengthen the case for extending activation beyond match day. Sponsorship assets activated only during live play reach no more than 27 percent of peak-receptivity fans; the Tournament Backbone segment, representing 37 percent, is largely available only through ongoing editorial and digital presence.

For brands evaluating sports advertising without traditional sponsorship, the openness data are directly relevant. Globally, 39 percent of respondents trust brands not conventionally associated with sport when advertised in a sports context. Among Formula 1 viewers specifically, that figure rises to 50 percent; among NBA and WNBA audiences, willingness to learn about new brands in a sports context runs 19 percentage points above the global average. The major events on the 2026 calendar are not a closed ecosystem for established sporting goods companies.

The findings are scheduled for presentation at the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) NewFronts in New York on March 25, 2026, at 10:15 am EST, presented by Dani Cushion, CMO at Teads.

How sporting goods brands can win with cross-screen, always-on activation

For brands with existing event sponsorships – particularly in football, tennis and running – the data strengthen the case for extending activation beyond match day. Sponsorship assets activated only during live play reach no more than 27 percent of peak-receptivity fans; the Tournament Backbone segment, representing 37 percent, is largely available only through ongoing editorial and digital presence.

For brands evaluating sports advertising without traditional sponsorship, the openness data are directly relevant. Globally, 39 percent of respondents trust brands not conventionally associated with sport when advertised in a sports context. Among Formula 1 viewers specifically, that figure rises to 50 percent; among NBA and WNBA audiences, willingness to learn about new brands in a sports context runs 19 percentage points above the global average. The major events on the 2026 calendar are not a closed ecosystem for established sporting goods companies.

The findings are scheduled for presentation at the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) NewFronts in New York on March 25, 2026, at 10:15 am EST, presented by Dani Cushion, CMO at Teads.