Sara Gotfredson’s Post

History made! This week’s women’s LSU-Iowa rematch averaged 12.3 million viewers (per Nielsen), making it the most-watched college basketball game ever to air on ESPN platforms. Like Lisa Valentino mentioned on stage at #CIMMEast today, it’s never been a more exciting time for women’s sports. This year’s March Madness tournament has shown us the future, and like men's sports it's driven by stars like Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins, and Paige Bueckers and brands like ESPN. The Elite 8 LSU-Iowa game was 22% more effective at driving ad engagement than last year's Championship match, underscoring the massive growth women's NCAA basketball and other women's sports have enjoyed over the last year. Five of the top ten #MarchMadness games by ad effectiveness are women’s so far this year – up from just two in 2023. With more star-studded games left, I have a good feeling this high engagement will continue through the end of the tournament, thanks to huge spikes in audience interest. https://lnkd.in/dJhg-A_u BTW, we just released a report on ad effectiveness in women’s sports, which you can download here: edo.com/womens-sports 

🏒 Exciting Day in Raleigh! 🚨 It's a big day as we cross fingers and toes hoping that our very own Carolina Hurricanes clinch their spot to make it to round 2 of the NHL Playoffs! There's never been a better time to get your brand in front of thousands of passionate fans. Here's why advertising during the Hurricanes' playoff games is a winning play: 1️⃣ Engaged Audience: Playoff hockey brings out the most dedicated fans, creating a prime opportunity to connect with an audience that's highly engaged and emotionally invested in the game. 2️⃣ Increased Visibility: With heightened attention on the playoffs, your brand will benefit from increased visibility and exposure, reaching a broader audience both locally and nationally. 3️⃣ Memorable Moments: Playoff games are full of memorable moments and intense energy, providing the perfect backdrop for your brand to make a lasting impression. 4️⃣ Community Impact: Supporting the Hurricanes during their playoff run not only aligns your brand with a beloved local team but also demonstrates your commitment to the community. Don't miss out on this chance to elevate your brand and stand out from the competition. Give me a shout today to learn more about advertising opportunities during this very exciting time in Raleighwood! #LetsGoCanes #localadvertising #getinthegame #PlayoffAdvertisingOpportunity 🌟🏒

Reaching new audiences is a major goal of every pro sports league. Here's a great way the NHL is doing it... NHL x Big City Greens Not familiar with Big City Greens? It's probably because you're not a kid or a parent. It's an animated series on Disney, and the NHL brings Big City Greens characters to life through the "NHL Big City Greens Classic". Using the NHL's player tracking technology, NHL Edge & Hock-Eye Innovations, players' exact movements are replicated into a live 3D rendition of the game. So what happens on the ice is displayed in real time on the NHL BCGC broadcast. It's helped the NHL reach a younger demographic and more females. Last year's game saw a 60% female audience, while a traditional NHL game is 40% female. The 2nd "NHL Big City Greens Classic" takes place on March 9 when the Bruins play the Penguins. . . . Great example of leveraging innovative technology to reach new fans creatively. #nhl #innovation #fanexperience

EVERYONE. WATCHES. WOMEN'S. SPORTS. As a Gamecock, a former college athlete and a woman in sports, there were many reasons to celebrate yesterday. The South Carolina Gamecocks completed an undefeated season over a strong Iowa team and one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time. Not only did my team win, but their game drew record viewership numbers with 18.7M avg viewers with a peak viewership at 24M viewers. Just to put it into perspective: - South Carolina-Iowa is better than every Kentucky Derby dating back to 1983, and every final round of the Masters dating back to when Tiger Woods won in 2001. - The game topped all but two prime-time telecasts of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 (out of 17 nights). - The game topped the average per-game viewership of NFL regular season games which was reported at 17.9M (an increase of 7% from last season). 2023 Games USC/Iowa Outdrew: - Alabama-Georgia (SEC title game): 17.52M - Georgia-TCU (CFB nat’l championship): 17.22M - UConn–San Diego State (MBB nat’l championship): 14.69 million - Kentucky Derby: 14.44 million - Nuggets-Heat (NBA Finals, Game 5): 13.08 million - The Masters (final round): 12.06 million - Rangers-Diamondbacks (World Series, Game 5): 11.48 million - LSU-Iowa (WBB nat’l championship): 9.92 million - Daytona 500 8.17 million - U.S.-Netherlands (Women’s World Cup): 7.59 million - Coco Gauff–Aryna Sabalenka (US Open final): 3.42 million If you're a brand and you've ever considered being part of the phenomenon that is women's sports, the time is now. And, I'll say it one more time for the people in the back - EVERYONE WATCHES WOMEN'S SPORTS. Oh, and Go Gamecocks!! #womenssports #gamecockwbb #sportsmarketing #ElevateEverything #forevertothee #itsabouttime

The summer lull in sports is here, with the NBA, NFL, and NHL in their off-season. Data reveals that July is typically the slowest month for sports viewership in the U.S. 📉 Despite this downturn, it's a crucial time for sports marketers and broadcasters to strategize for the bustling seasons ahead. Historically, fall and winter witness a sharp increase in viewership, as football, basketball, and hockey seasons get underway, reaching their peak during playoff seasons. For businesses and professionals in the sports industry, now is the perfect time to plan your marketing campaigns and fan engagement strategies to capture the audience's renewed interest in the upcoming months! #SportsIndustry #SportsMarketing #Broadcasting #ViewerEngagement #StrategicPlanning

🚀 Jump into 2024's Sports Excitement! 🌟 The new year kicks off with a bang in the sports world. January 2024 is packed with the NFL playoffs, the action of the NHL, the dynamic plays of the NBA, and pivotal moments in College Football and the PGA Tour. Ready to get the full scoop on January's sports excitement? Visit our blog for this month's sports calendar. #OnlineVideo #Sports #Content

In client services and many of my (mostly male) personal relationships, I've developed something that helps me feel comfortable in many social situations where small talk is going to occur: The SportsCenter Ticker. You know, the thing at the bottom with all the scores and teams and whatnot. Whether you are into sports or not, the SportsCenter Ticker has everything you could ever want to know and reference in a casual conversation. Not following the NHL or NBA playoffs? You'll find out who is up in the series in seconds. Find Golf insufferable? You'll see who is leading the pack without watching a moment of it. Hearing all about some sort of Draft? You'll see who the #1 pick was at a glance. Race just happened? You've got a winner. Award season? You've got a winner.  Big fight, big match, or big comeback? The ticker has you covered. It rotates on a fairly frequent basis so if you missed a particular score or moment, you'll be reminded of it within a few minutes. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had in life where the Indy 500 or a big college football game happened and I am completely oblivious to who participated, when it was, or who won. But because I watched SportsCenter on ESPN for about 10 minutes, I absorbed enough info to go beyond the "Yea, I heard about that" and connect a little more with someone more into sports than I am. Also, feel free to ignore all of that and just be comfortable saying "Yea, I don't really watch {insert sport here}." That is a viable move as well, I've just found the ticker to be a form of social catalyst that helps move along what might be an otherwise stiff moment in a convo.

The weekly women's sports record breaking moment. 14.2M viewers tuned in on ESPN for University of Iowa and University of Connecticut. This took down last week's Elite 8 record featuring the same Iowa and Caitlin Clark taking on Louisiana State University. More viewers than 2023 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals and Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series among many other sporting events in the past 12 months. So that was Friday. The very next day saw a 17K strong, sell-out crowd in attendance for the open practice for the NCAA Finals featuring South Carolina Gamecocks and University of Iowa. The crowd was amazing and based on all the dancing and fun on the court by Coach of the Year Dawn Staley and their mascot Cocky, the NCAA missed an opportunity to make a full weekend of it with a concert or some type of women's basketball festival. Think about what University of Colorado Boulder and Coach Prime are doing with their Spring Game. Three years ago, NCAA didn't allow the women's event to use the moniker "March Madness" and didn't have a gym available for Final Four participants. There are still issues. Inconsistent 3-point lines and lodging far from game sites still shone a light that there is still room for growth, but the media coverage and star power has triumphed and pushed this event to new levels. ESPN signed a new deal for all NCAA Championships, excluding Men's Basketball Tournament and CFP Series for about $137M per year. While that deal doesn't kick in till next year, it is already looking like a bargain when streamers are paying $100M for one NFL game. Sports Business Classes - - Can collegiate dominance translate to professional success? Can the ratings, coverage, viewers, fans, excitement, and energy of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament translate into success for the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association)? All the major star power will be moving to the "W". Your class is the hired marketing agency and business consultant to the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) - advise them with a 12 month roadmap that starts TODAY. Follow Joe Pompliano, Sportico, & Front Office Sports for all the details. University of Connecticut School of Business University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business NC State Poole College of Management University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business Temple University's School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management Portland State University - School of Business UCLA Anderson School of Management Jesuit High School Portland Beaverton School District Lincoln High School #womenssports #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #sportsmanagement #sportsbiz #sportsbizprof

Major League Baseball (MLB)'s opening day is tomorrow! - and our PGAV Destinations Destinology Team is putting their sharp focus on the evolving fan experience at major league stadiums. Read below! An excerpt, with great thanks to Lee Igel, Clinical Professor at the New York University Institute for Global Sport: “Everything in and around stadiums is now more social than economic. Social impacts and community benefits drive economic impacts and financial returns. That is a flip on the business model that shaped sports into the industry that it is today. Put another way, thirty years ago, it was ‘It's the economy, stupid.’ For the past decade or so, it's been ‘It's the society, stupid.’ Visitors to stadiums have always anticipated being in the venues as part of belonging to a community. It's now more significant than in the past, especially as we see increasing rates—an epidemic, really—of loneliness across the U.S. population. Stadium experiences are evolving—and going to have to continue evolving—around that sense of community. And stadium owners and operators are going to have to build it genuinely if they are serious about bringing in fans more often than just a one-off visit.” https://lnkd.in/geMy9uJ3

I bet you didn't expect to read that headline. But it shouldn't be surprising. Baseball leads the major professional sports in youth participation (in America). And that participation creates fandom at a young age. (Shoutout MLB for their investments in youth sports.) Plus, with the length of the MLB season, baseball will always offer the largest number of live game attendance of the professional leagues. #SportsMarketing #MLB #Advertising https://lnkd.in/eaCSPZ3i