Women’s March Madness Ad Revenue Soars as Tournament Draws Record Viewership

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is experiencing significant growth in advertising revenue, fueled by increasing viewership and demand. Ahead of the first round of the tournament on Friday, Disney reported that ad inventory is “well sold,” though some opportunities remain for advertisers.

Record Ad Rates for Championship Game

This year’s Championship Game, scheduled to air on ABC on April 5, has achieved ad rates of $1 million or more for the second consecutive year. At least one 30-second spot reached $1.5 million, a novel unit high.

Double-Digit Revenue Increase

Danielle Brown, Senior Vice President of Sports Brand Solutions at Disney Advertising, stated that pricing for the tournament, broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ABC, and streaming platforms, is up by double-digit percentages. This increase is attributed to growing demand, limited inventory, and the expanding audience.

Strong Regular Season and Tournament Performance

The women’s college basketball regular season saw a 72% increase in revenue compared to two years ago, and this year’s tournament is up 134% from the same period last year, according to Brown.

Diverse Advertiser Base

The 2026 tournament features 151 unique advertisers, including 84 returning sponsors, across 66 categories. Top advertising categories include credit card and banking, finance and insurance, technology, telecommunications, soft drinks, consumer packaged goods, travel and leisure, automotive, and quick-service restaurants.

Key Sponsors

ESPN has secured 20 unique sponsors for the tournament, with Capital One serving as the presenting sponsor. Intuit TurboTax sponsors the First Four, first round, and second round. Coca-Cola is the sponsor for the Sweet 16, and AT&T sponsors the Elite Eight and Final Four.

Expanding Digital Presence

ESPN is leveraging streaming, social media, and content creators during the tournament. Fans can access personalized content feeds through the ESPN app, and creators like Katie Feeney will contribute to content creation. Feeney will be on-site at the Final Four and Championship Game, providing the first-ever “creator cam” coverage for college basketball.

Growth in Streaming and Programmatic Advertising

Disney has approximately 500 advertisers across women’s sports, adding around 100 advertisers per year for the past two years. The company emphasizes the accessibility of women’s college basketball through ESPN, offering various transaction options, including direct deals and automation for streaming games.

Industry-Wide Investment in Women’s Sports

The ad sales success aligns with broader trends in women’s sports advertising. A recent report by WPP Media revealed a 79% year-over-year increase in ad impressions for women’s sports and 20% higher engagement with ads compared to non-sports broadcast and cable. Investment in women’s sports is estimated to have increased by nearly 70% year-over-year, reaching approximately $127 million.

Brown noted, “The audience is really big in terms of our conversations in the marketplace, and then we’re seeing that effectiveness on the backend. We’re seeing these games drive search results and drive impact and conversion.”