H&M Communications’ Post

Despite the incontestable excellence of female athletes across the world, there is still a massive disparity in the media coverage they receive. Did you know that 85% of total television coverage focuses on men’s sports? And that’s only in the last 5 years as women’s sports coverage has tripled. It’s time to close the coverage gap. And that's exactly what Disney+ plans to do. Enter the #CaitlinClark effect. An athlete who’s changing the game for women’s sports, literally. She’s broken every record and shows no signs of slowly down, selling out stadiums and driving up ticket prices. Women’s sports are projected to rake in over $1 billion in revenue in 2024, setting a new revenue record. Simply put, women’s sports are good business. Today marks Caitlin Clark’s first regular season WNBA game 🏀 It will air on Disney+, the network's first-ever live sporting event. Make sure to tune in! Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. Pacific today, broadcast on ESPN2 and Disney+.

The NBA is adopting a strategy that many of its teams have employed for years: going for three. Media analysts widely expect the league to select at least three distributors for its next media rights deal after the current setup expires in 2025. For the last 21 years, the NBA has had two TV partners: ESPN and TNT. The consensus among league observers is that splitting up its TV package among more partners will help the league either double or triple the size of the $24 billion media contract it signed nine years ago. Will the NBA be able to pull off that "triple-double"? Margaret Fleming and I set to find out for Insider. Here's what media analysts and other sports industry insiders say: https://lnkd.in/eHHEYFkf

#SuperBowlLVIII was more than just a game; it was a spectacle of #sports, #music, and #advertising brilliance. Here are the highlights: 🏈 #Chiefs clinch a historic victory. 🏈 Usher's halftime performance creates waves. 🏈 Taylor Swift's appearance broadens the audience. 🏈 Brands like Dove and NYX capitalize on Swift's fanbase. 🏈 Temu and Verizon lead in ad engagement. Other brands that won included Doritos, FanDuel, Paramount+, Bud Light, State Farm, and Mountain Dew 🏈 Beyoncé emerges as the most mentioned celebrity. By a HUGE margin. 🏈 The event redefined Super Bowl advertising trends. 🏈 Audience diversity reaches new highs. 🏈 Digital engagement sets new records. 🏈 Advertising strategies showcase innovative approaches. This Super Bowl was a game-changer for brands, celebrities, and fans alike, blending entertainment with marketing mastery. For an in-depth look, check out the full article in the comments. Big ups to Brandwatch for this golden nugget. #SuperBowl #Marketing #DigitalEngagement #BrandStrategy #SportsEntertainment

Women’s sports are packing bars, arenas, and entire cities and it’s been incredible to experience this in real time. My wife and I don’t really watch TV, but we fired up the Fubo and have been glued for days on end watching hoops history be made. Not just herstory, but history, full stop. I never realized I wasn’t being marketed to… until I started being marketed to. Advertisers have finally realized that not only can women play basketball (and we kick ass btw) but that their fans have disposable income. We buy stuff, lots of it and not just whatever advertisers consider to be feminine stuff either. There’s commercials for trucks, power tools, and sports drinks. The advertisements don’t just feature a token woman either, the entire commercial is full of women. Just like Romney's binders. At the risk of giving advertisers credit for the absolute bare minimum, it does feel significant to me. Real talk: women play sports, we sell out concerts, and yea we advise on political campaigns too. We can “hoop and rap” as Flau'jae says, and you better look out because we also now have six different kinds of power tools and the trucks to go with them! Go Hawks!

How are the DEI in Super Bowl commercials? Using DiversityCatch from MediaCatch we have analysed 33 ads from the spectacle yesterday. And ranked them all against each other for DEI. Main take away: 1️⃣ Females take up 37 % of screen time on average across all the commercials. 2️⃣ And they speak a little less than their counterparts - 35% of the speaking time belongs to females. 3️⃣ The ads uses young females and older males. The majority of the males are between the ages of 35-44, for females the majority is between 25-34 years old. 4️⃣ 12 ads have more than 50% screen time with females. 5️⃣ 21 ads have more than 50% screen time with males. See the ranking on the link below

The NBA is likely headed for a massive increase in its media rights revenue, possibly doubling or tripling its current structure. This comes despite flat or declining ratings and for some partners, offering less content for higher fees. As a recent Front Office Sports article points out (linked below), the winner is NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who has skillfully navigated the media rights landscape to secure the league's financial future. The new deal could even be large enough to land the NBA’s first $100 million annual player salary. How did Silver and the NBA achieve this? 🏀 Premium Sports Rights: Despite falling ratings, live sports still attract strong competition because they deliver unique, predictable audiences (sports are easier to project than a new hit TV show). There are also only a few valuable sports properties, and the NBA is one of them. 🏀 Multiple Bidders: The NBA is set to get a larger % raise than the NFL got in its last negotiation, even with a smaller audience. Four bidders competed for three packages, with reports suggesting ESPN, Amazon, and NBC will be the new media partners, leaving current partner, TNT, out. 🏀 Shift to Direct-to-Consumer: Media companies now value sports deals for both ad revenue and subscription growth. NBC found that 70% of fans who signed up to watch the Chiefs/Dolphins playoff game on Peacock stayed with the service. It will be interesting to see how these trends affect future rights deals, especially for MLB who is next up among major US properties. #sportsmediarights #NBA #ratings https://lnkd.in/gWmZCDRd

The Varsity * Sean McManus stepped down Sunday after 28 years of running CBS Sports. What were his last minutes as CBS Sports chairman like? I detail what happened inside the network's production compound during McManus' last minutes in charge. * McManus wasn't the only longtime CBS employee to retire following The Masters. The beloved announcer Verne Lundquist called his final round at Augusta National after 40 years. The kind of announcer who knows when to talk and when to stay quiet, Lunquist has always described his style as "minimalist." * Spulu - the planned sports streaming service from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery - likely will have to contend with an antitrust trial just before its launch. I have the latest on Fubo TV's plans to derail Spulu's launch. * Baseball fans hate MLB blackouts - the ones that don't allow, say, Oriole fans to stream the team's games from parts of Delaware and Pennsylvania all the way down to North Carolina. Slowly but surely, MLB has a plan to end these blackouts. It's not happening fast enough for some fans. But it is happening. * The biggest sports business story right now is obviously what the NBA will do with its media rights packages. The second biggest? It could be the UFC’s media rights, which are up in December of 2025. Plus, details on Diamond Sports who has a fundamental disagreement with DirecTV and Comcast. Sure, Diamond knows that its regional sports networks will have to go on a digital tier. But Diamond wants DirecTV and Comcast to migrate those channels over a multi-year period - a "glide path." DirecTV and Comcast want to do it right away - "a cliff path." They still have a couple of weeks to work out a deal. https://lnkd.in/eqrBbnBB

We researched which celebrities have made the most Super Bowl appearances from 2013-2023. Our infographic reveals the playbook of ad success. Let's break it down: Dynamic Duos: Notice how Rob Gronkowski and T-Mobile teamed up multiple times, creating a winning streak in the advertising world? It's a testament to the strong bond between star power and brand messaging that echoes beyond the screen. The Comeback Stars: John Krasinski's recurring roles for Esurance and Hyundai show that once you score a touchdown with viewers, brands will want you back in the game. These repeat appearances are like victory laps in the ad space, solidifying a celeb's star status. Industry Huddle: The diverse lineup of brands - from Bud Light tapping into the humor of Arnold Schwarzenegger to Amazon Echo showcasing the versatility of Missy Elliott - reflects the Super Bowl's role as a grand stage for various sectors to shine. Follow Booking Agent Info for more insights like this! #SuperBowl #SuperBowl2024 #SuperBowlAds #SuperBowlCommercials

Whether you love her or you're not her biggest fan, Taylor Swift has an undeniable impact on the Super Bowl. Due to the hefty cost of a TV ad during the big game, many brands simply comment on the game through their preferred social channels. Some marketing experts believe that brands should take advantage of Swift's association and appeal to her fanbase when planning their Super Bowl social media marketing strategies. For example, instead of just commenting on the game itself, commenting on Taylor's reaction or making a pun with one of her song lyrics. However, some serious football fans are upset that Swift is getting so much attention. This means brands that cater to serious football fans could face backlash if they comment too much on Swift instead of the actual game. It's an interesting dilemma and one that is polarizing in the marketing world. We'll continue to post about the Super Bowl and will have lots of post-game ad insights as well. Be sure to follow our page and ring the bell to stay up to date! #redcatmarketing #superbowlads 

The Super Bowl is not just about the game, but also the commercials! I remember analyzing them in my USC marketing class. This year, new fans are tuning in thanks to the Taylor Swift effect. Did you know that women and girls make up 46% of the fan base, and there has been an 8% increase in young girls this year? This means new brands and more female-focused commercials. But with a 30-second commercial costing up to $7M, what's the ROI? Will you remember the brand or just the aspects of the commercial? Let's see what this year's ads have in store! #superbowl #adstrategy #commercial