In this three-part Sports Snapshot series, we will explore the latest content strategies and audience insights that we identified in Tubular’s report: Sports Snapshots: The 2024 Social Media Scoreboard
Tubular’s social media insights help you uncover the content and sponsorship strategies that are helping creators and marketers win over sports fans.
In Part three of our three-part Sports Snapshot series, we’ll discuss how women are diversifying sporting audiences. This new trend is two fold: stand-out female athletes are winning over male sports fans, and female influencers and celebrities are bringing their female audience to traditionally male dominated arenas.
What you maybe have missed:
- Part one: Benchmarking Success
- Part two: Winning Content Strategies
- Part three: Diversifying Sports Audiences
A Record-Breaking Year for Women’s Basketball
For the first time ever, the Women’s College Basketball National Championship outperformed the Men’s Championship in viewership in April 2024. Within a week, the women’s NCAA championship game amassed over 93.9 million views across social media platforms. Star athletes like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have significantly impacted the league’s audience, drawing in new fans from around the world.
These athletes are not just attracting female fans, but also male fans to the growing women’s league. For example, Tubular Audience Ratings indicates that Angel Reese’s TikTok audience is 71% male.
Following the historic championship, the WNBA draft saw Caitlin Clark picked by the Indiana Fever. Clark arrived at the draft event dripping in Prada, while other prominent players wore outfits by designers like Balmain. The draft had the vibe of a red carpet awards show, capturing the attention of many social media users.
Takeaway:
The surge in viewership for women’s sports, driven by star athletes and high-profile events, represents a significant opportunity to engage a broader audience through strategic social media and event coverage.
Influencers & Icons Boost Sports Viewership
Super Bowl LVIII became the most-watched U.S. TV broadcast since the 1969 moon landing, with CBS Sports reporting an impressive average of 123.4 million viewers across platforms like CBS, Nickelodeon, Univision, and various digital outlets. The 2024 viewership saw a 7% increase from 2023, likely fueled by several factors – includingTaylor Swift’s presence at the event, where she supported Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. While opinions differ on Swift’s exact impact, a Numerator poll found that 20% of Gen Z and Millennials were more inclined to watch the Super Bowl if she attended.
Looking at Tubular Intelligence, it’s clear how Swift-related Super Bowl content contributed to overall viewership on social media. In the month following Super Bowl LVIII, Swift-related Super Bowl content accounted for 17% of the total Super Bowl viewership on YouTube, and 22% on TikTok. The synergy between celebrity-athlete couples and social media is evident, blending individual fan bases into a unified audience.
This trend is not limited to high-profile celebrities like Swift. Many athletes are involved with popular social media influencers who, while not as famous as Swift, command millions of loyal followers.
For instance, when one of TikTok’s most famous beauty influencers, Alix Earle, started dating NFL player Braxton Berrios, the couple became a social media sensation. Tubular data showed that in September 2023, 15% of the NFL’s TikTok audience also engaged with content about Alix Earle. By February 2024, after Alix presented an award at the NFL Honors, this audience overlap reached 25%.
Takeaway:
Leveraging the power of celebrity influence and social media can significantly boost viewership and fan engagement, offering a unique opportunity to merge diverse audiences through strategic collaborations and targeted content.
The recent milestones in women’s sports and the influence of celebrities on major sporting events signal a transformative era for sports viewership.
The Women’s College Basketball National Championship’s unprecedented success, combined with the surge in Super Bowl LVIII’s viewership driven by figures like Taylor Swift, illustrates how star athletes and celebrities can elevate audience engagement across all demographics.
This evolving landscape offers sports broadcasters and creators a unique opportunity to harness the power of social media and high-profile personalities to attract diverse and expansive audiences. By strategically integrating these elements into their content and coverage, they can foster a more connected and enthusiastic fan base, setting new standards for the sports industry.
Diversifying Sports Audiences Key Takeaways:
- Leverage Star Power: The significant impact of athletes like Caitlin Clark and celebrities like Taylor Swift on sports viewership highlights the importance of integrating high-profile figures into sports marketing and broadcasting strategies.
- Harness Social Media: The substantial social media engagement surrounding major events demonstrates the potential of platforms like YouTube and TikTok to amplify reach and connect with a broader, more diverse audience.
- Expand Audience Demographics: The blending of fan bases through celebrity-athlete partnerships offers an opportunity to attract new demographics, particularly younger viewers, enhancing overall fan engagement and loyalty.
Thanks for joining us on this three part series. If you missed anything, you can download the full report here.