Investing in Female Sports Fans—a Slam Dunk for Brands

Looking back at the last few years in women’s sports, it’s safe to call it an all-in-one slam dunk, home run, and touchdown. The passion over women’s sports is more than a movement—it's a part of the new normal. It seems almost impossible to skim the web without seeing a headline featuring athletes like Simone Biles, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Ilona Maher, and many more. Just look at the numbers: 14% of all sports investment deals in 2024 were in women’s sports, while male sports fans report an increase in following women’s sports compared to five years ago.

Digital audio plays a large role in boosting (and maintaining) attention surrounding women’s sports. The medium is the perfect teammate for women, 34% of whom are women’s sports fans, whether they’re hyping themselves up for a game through music or hearing from their favorite athlete on a podcast. Sports audio has become a part of everyday routines—women’s sports fans spend an average of six hours and 45 minutes weekly listening to sports audio content.

Hot off the heels of an Olympics year, there’s no better month than Women’s History Month to celebrate female athletes, sports, and fans—and no better time than now to get started. Here’s how your brand can get off the bench and make winning plays year-round. 

Fans Get Their Sports Fix Through Audio

From March Madness brackets to an athlete’s retirement, as the top sports news of the day refreshes, and one sports season transitions into another, fans stay locked in with audio. Whether they’re listening to podcasts or the radio, over eight in 10 women’s sports fans listen to sports audio to stay connected to teams, while 64% listen to hear unique perspectives on sports topics not covered in other media.  

Going where the fans are means big results for your brand. Hint: Snagging a commercial spot during the Big Game isn’t the only way to reach your target audience. Sports media is a year-round affair, and sports audio ads have led 64% of fans to get more information about a product and 55% to purchase a product.

Women Hold the Ball and the Purse Strings

Repeat after us: Investing in women’s sports is investing in female audiences. And it pays off in more ways than one. After all, 57% of women are casual spectators, while 34% of women are enthusiastic fans. And women’s sports fans are more likely than men’s sports fans to be wealthier, younger, daily social media users, and avid fans. The translation for your brand? If you’re late to the game on investing in women’s sports, you’re leaving a lot of consumer power on the table. 

The passion for women's sports is shown through consumer actions—fans are three times more likely to buy apparel, while one in three attend multiple games per season. And the average customer value return for every $1 corporate sponsors invest in women’s sports is $7.29.

See how brands have put their money where their mouth is: 

• In 2022, Ally Bank pledged to reach equal media spend across men’s and women’s sports within five years. After increasing their women’s sports media investment by 300%, Ally saw a brand value increase of more than 30%.  

• In 2023, the WNBA announced beauty brand Mielle as the official textured hair care partner of the league. After this partnership was announced, Mielle’s household penetration increased by more than 30% in 2024.

When Sports Lovers Are off the Field, They’re Here

Women’s representation in sports and audio go hand in hand. It’s no surprise that seven in 10 women like to see women being represented and celebrated through audio content, including music and podcasts. The SiriusXM Streaming Network and SiriusXM Podcast Network check both boxes. 

Getting into the Right Gameday Headspace with Music

Notice how some of your favorite athletes get in the gameday zone with headphones on in the locker room? Fans have adopted the same ritual. Whether females are feeling the pregame hype, entering the field themselves, or cheering on their favorite team on TV or in person, digital audio sets the tone. 

As a brand, consider sponsoring Girl Power, Women in Hip Hop, or Women in Pop to reach females in the mood for empowerment and motivation. 

Catching the Highlights on Podcasts 

Gone are the days when sports media was created for men, by men. One in three women seek out female-led audio content, including female artists and female-hosted podcasts. When female sports fans are looking for engaging conversations and lively debates, where better to tune in than the #1 podcast network with women? For all those pre- and post-game moments, all-year round, the SiriusXM Podcast Network features shows hosted by female pro athletes (the Nikki & Brie Show), sports-loving female hosts (Casuals with Katie Nolan), and a roster of pro athlete interviewees (Call Her Daddy). 

The Nikki & Brie Show Gets a Pin with E-Commerce Advertising 

What do you get when you combine a podcast with an e-commerce advertiser? Exceeded benchmarks, that's what.

The Nikki & Brie Show, hosted by pro wrestlers and sisters Nikki and Brie Garcia, is a heavy hitter in our podcast library. The show partnered with an e-commerce advertiser to drive awareness, site traffic, and conversions among podcast listeners and sports genre fans. 

The campaign leveraged messaging themes that were relevant to the podcast, and it targeted sports podcast listeners who had similar profiles to that of the e-commerce advertiser. The results were a KO:

• 2.17% conversion rate driven by ads on the podcast

• 8x greater conversion rate than the SiriusXM Podcast Network Podsights median benchmark

As you can see, advertising in sports sparks consumer action. In fact, when compared to the average SiriusXM Podcast Network audience, sports listeners on the network are more likely to take action, from visiting a website to purchasing a product, after hearing a podcast ad.

Amplify Your Campaigns with Female Fans on Your Roster

Brands don’t need a major sports event, or even a specific season, to get locked in. We can’t always anticipate which up-and-coming athlete is set to become a household name or which sport will become the next big thing. However, we can almost always count on women’s sports fans to have their ears open and eyes peeled for brands that make a difference with their investments. 

Ready to get your head in the sports audio game? Let’s chat.

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