Key Takeaways

  • Sports brands are increasingly diversifying their advertising media mix, with spending on channels such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook growing 25% year-over-year during Q2, and mobile app ad spending growing 116%, according to the latest Sensor Tower research.
  • Advertisers in the gaming, entertainment, and betting industries spent over $500 million on traditional TV between Q3 2025 and Q2 2026, up 2.3% year-over-year. During the same period, sports brands spent $3.3 billion across 18 digital channels in over 50 markets, up 26% year-over-year.
  • Ad impressions grew 11.2% year-over-year, indicating that investment is flowing toward higher-cost ad inventory. Prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket saw monthly digital ad spending increase 104% and 286% month-over-month, respectively, during sporting events.

Deep Dive

Sensor Tower's latest report assesses the evolving sports-related advertising landscape, including the growing role of sports betting brands in the space, the impact of the World Cup on the industry, and broader digital media trends. A key takeaway is the industry-wide push toward media mix diversification.

NBA events saw the highest concentration of sports betting advertisers, accounting for 26% of all ad impressions from H2 2025 to H1 2026, compared to 13% for the Super Bowl and 15% for the MLB season. March Madness, however, presented a more balanced advertiser mix, with food and dining accounting for 16% of ad impressions, consumer packaged goods (CPG) at 14%, and financial services at 11%, according to Sensor Tower's Beyond the Game: 2026 Sports Report.

The report notes that CPG brands tend to advertise more during global, high-reach sporting events. For example, during the World Cup, CPG brands accounted for 37% of ad impressions in the 90 days leading up to the final, the highest share among the top five sporting events for CPG advertising (Super Bowl, World Cup, NBA, March Madness, and MLB). March Madness ranked second with 14% CPG ad impressions, and the Super Bowl ranked third with 12%.

The World Cup offers advertisers the opportunity to reach a broader global audience, with viewership for the final between Spain and Argentinaexpected to reach billions. Even brands that are not official event sponsorshave sought to participate, leveraging thismost-watched sporting event globally。

Although CPG brands hold the largest share of World Cup ad impressions, the international event still maintains a healthy advertiser mix. Media and entertainment ads accounted for 20% of ad impressions during the event, the lowest share for that segment across the top five sporting events. The NBA led in media and entertainment ads at 59%, followed by the Super Bowl (46%), MLB (40%), and March Madness (39%). Fox was the only major broadcaster to increase spending during the FIFA World Cup in June.

Despite the significant growth in ad spending by Kalshi and Polymarket, online betting accounted for only 2% of ad impressions during the World Cup. Shopping accounted for 14%, with food and dining services and financial services each at 5%, according to the report.