The popularity of women’s sports is on the rise by any meaningful measurement. The latest comes in terms of dollars and sense. ESPN reports that its ad inventory for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is sold out.
Disney’s VP of Advertising Sports Brand Solutions, Theresa Palmieri, said that advertisers have “flocked to these offerings.”
Sponsors have not only bought every available in-game ad. They have also bought out the inventory on pre and postgame broadcasts. Capitol One will be the presenting sponsor of those. AT&T has signed on as presenting sponsor of megacast coverage of the Women’s Final Four featuring former UConn teammates Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
ESPN joins CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery in the accomplishment. Inventory across both the men’s and women’s tournaments are completely sold out.
This couldn’t come at a better time for the NCAA. The organization has a deal with ESPN for all of its championships, aside from men’s basketball, that runs through 2024. The current contract is worth $34 million, but a report last year suggested that the women’s tournament could be worth as much as $112 million on its own.
