2025年全球体育报告重塑体育格局及赞助策略的关键因素（英文）

2025

Globalsports

andyoursponsorshipstrategy

Keyfactorstransformingsports

TabIeofcontents

Introduction

3

Section1

Theworld,smostpopularsportisawinforbrands

5

Section2

Women,ssportsfansarechangingthegame

10

Section3

Mediaisgrowingthegamefornewformatsand

globalsports

14

Conclusion

19

AboutNielsen

20

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.2

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.3

Introduction

Introduction

Theworldofsportsisexploding,andanumberoffactorsareshakingupthegame.Increasedglobalization,diversifyingfandomsandchangesin

mediaconsumptionarecreatingpassionatefanswhoaremoreconnectedthaneverbefore.Ofcourse,thisbringsinnewopportunitiesandafew

curveballstoo.

Toplayitrightinthisever-changingscene,brandsandrightsholders

needtounderstandtoday’sfans.Theoldplaybookformarketingjust

isn‘tcuttingit.Brandsneedtoknowwhensponsorshipsarecreating

authenticrelationshipswithfansandturningthemintoloyalconsumers.

Mediacompaniesneedtokeepupwithhowfansaretuningin—whetherit‘scatchingliveactionontheirphoneorbinginghighlightslater.And

forleaguesandteams,it’sallaboutbuildingrealconnectionswithfanseverywhere,creatingaglobalcheeringsectionthatgoesbeyondjustshowinguptothestadium.

Thisreportdivesintothefactorsthatarefuelingthisgrowthinsports

globally—howwewatch,howtheworldconnectsusandhowdifferent

typesoffansareshapingthefuture.Bygettingahandleonallofthis,youcancraftsmarterstrategies,turnmarketingplaysintowinningscores,andmakethemostofthemassivepotentialinglobalsportstoday.

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.4

Threegrowthfactors

Today’ssportsmarketinglandscapeisgrowing,withthevalueofglobalsportsmediarights

surpassing$60billionin2024.Inthisreport,wehighlightkeyfactorsthatarereshapingsportstohelpyoumakesmarterdecisionsaroundyoursportssponsorshipsandknowthetruevalueofyourinvestments.

1.Theworld,smostpopularsportisawinforbrands

Whetherfanscallitfootballorsoccer,thesportisthemostpopular

aroundtheworld.Globaltournamentsin2025,2026and2027willopenupopportunitiestobreakthroughwithfans—particularlythegrowingandpassionatefanbaseintheU.S.

2.Women,ssportsfansarechangingthegame

Women’ssportsareexplodinginpopularity.Andwithwomenmakingup

almosthalfofallwomen’ssportsfansglobally,fandomlooksdifferentfrommen’ssports.Brandsandrightsholdersneedtobreakthemoldaswomen’ssportscontinuetoevolve.

3.Mediaisgrowingthegamefornewformatsandglobalsports

Thankstostreamingandsocialmedia,fanstodayhavemoreaccessto

sports(andtheathletesthatplaythem)thaneverbefore.Whilemediaisgrowingengagement,it’salsoopeningopportunitiesfornewformats—likethefastgrowingtech-infusedgolfleagueTGL—tofindfans.

TheworId’s

mostpopuIarsportisawinforbrands

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.6

Section1:Theworld’smostpopularsportisawinforbrands

Footballfandomvariesbycountry

Football(alsoknownassoccer)istheworld’smostpopularsport,with

51%ofpeopleonaveragesayingthey’refans.Thisplacesitwellabovethenextmostpopularsportsglobally—basketball(42%globalfandom)and

swimming(39%).

Withmajortournamentsacrossmen’sandwomen’sfootballin2025,2026

and2027,brandsandrightsholdersneedtounderstandhowfandomdiffersacrossmarkets.

Somemarketsoverindextheglobalaverage,suchasMexicoat64%fandom

andseveralmajormarketsinEurope—goodnewswiththeUEFAWomen‘s

EURO2025tournamentrightaroundthecorner.However,it’salsoimportanttoconsiderpopulationsize.Despitealowerpercentageoffans,theU.S.hasthefourthlargestfootballfanbaseintheworldwith62millionfans.That’s2xmorefansthanmajorEuropeanmarkets.

Figure1.1

Footballfandomaroundtheworld

Figure1.2

Footballfanpopulationbycountry

y

t

Germany

51%

SouthKorea

Italy

56%

U.K.

56%

Japan

32%

Australlia

34%

27%

Mexico

64%

55%

SaudiArabia

75%

Canada

31%

France

43%

Spain

59%

Brazil

62%

China

47%

53%

India

U.S.

China

India

Brazil

U.S.

Mexico

Germany

U.K.

Japan ItalySpain

France

SouthKorea

Canada

Australia

8662.2M57.6M

29.1M

26.1M

25.4M

22.6M19.7M

19.2M

17.0M8.8M

6.1M

138.7M.4M

259.7M

0100M200M300M

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

Section1:Theworld’smostpopularsportisawinforbrands

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.7

Footballfansaremorereceptivetosponsors

Footballisbyfarthesportthatattractsthehighestinvestmentsfrombrandsglobally—41%ofallsportssponsorshipsarefootballsponsorships.1Andforgoodreason:Footballfansaroundtheworldareeagertoengagewithand

buyfrombrandswhosponsorcompetitions.Infact,67%ofglobalfootballfansfindbrandssponsoringtheirfavoritecompetitionsmoreappealing,

comparedto54%ofthegeneralpopulation.

Figure1.3

Globalfootballfansleadglobalsportsfansinsponsorshipreceptivity

Companiesinvolvedinsponsoringsportgaininappealwiththeaudience

Iammorelikelytorememberacompanynameifitsponsorssomething

Iaminterestedin,thanifitwereonatraditionaloutdooradvertisingbillboard

Companiesthatengageinsponsorshipshowthattheyaresociallyresponsible

Companiesthatengageinsponsorshipshowthattheyaretrustworthy

Iactivelyinformmyselfaboutbrandsengagedasasponsorinsport

Footballfans

Sportsfans

Generalpopulation

0%20%40%60%80%

Countries:Australia,Brazil,France,Germany,Italy,Japan,SouthKorea,U.K.,U.S.

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

Withtheupcomingtournaments,thispositiveresponsetosponsorshipisawinforbrands.Butgettingyourbrandsponsorshiprightdependson

understandingthenuanceoffansinyourtargetmarket.AsseeninFigure

1.4,U.S.fansaresignificantlymorereceptivetobrandsponsorshipthanthe

country’sgeneralsportsfansandaresecondonlytofootballfansinBrazil,oneofthesport’smostdominantmarketsworldwide.Meanwhile,Brazilfootball

fansaremuchmoreinlinewithoverallsportsfansinthecountry.

Figure1.4

Companiesinvolvedinsponsoringsportgaininappealwiththeaudience

Brazil

U.S.

Spain

Australia

Italy

Japan

France

SouthKorea

U.K.

Germany

●Footballfans

Sportsfans

Generalpopulation

0%20%40%60%80%

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

1NielsenSportsSponsorGlobe,2023

Section1:Theworld’smostpopularsportisawinforbrands

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.8

Spotlight

GettingtoknowsoccerfansintheU.S.aheadofFIFAWorldCup2026TM

TheupcomingMen’sFIFAWorldCup2026TMwillbehostedacrossNorthAmerica.IntheU.S.,thesport’sfandomisontherise.

AccordingtoNielsenFanInsights,62%ofsoccerfansand11%of

non-sportsfansintheU.S.expecttheirinterestinsoccertoincreaseinthenext18monthsaswegetclosertothetournament.

SponsorsneedtounderstandU.S.fanstocapitalizeonthegames.

IntheU.S.,76%ofsoccerfansareMillennialsorGenZ,22%areHispanic,and34%earn$100Kormoreinhouseholdincome.Andtheseyoung,diverseandaffluentfansareeagertospendwith

brandsthatsponsorthegame.

Needmoresoccerinsightsaheadof2026?

Learnwhosoccerfansare,whatmakesthemtick,andtheirattitudestowardbrands.NielsensnewsoccerFanInsightscanhelpyou

answerquestionssuchas:

Whatistheprojectedimpactof2026onsoccerfandom?Willitbesustainable?

Whoaresoccerfanstheirdemographics,interestsandmediahabits?Howdoesfandomdifferacrosssoccerproperties?

HowdoIbestreachmytargetmarket?Isadvertisingorsponsorshipamoreeffectivestrategy?

Learnmore

Figure1.5

SoccerfansintheU.S.leaninwithbrandsponsors

Iwouldchooseasponsor'sproductratherthanrivalbrandsifpriceandqualitywerethesame

Companiesthatengageinsponsorshipshowthattheyaresociallyresponsible

Iactivelyinformmyselfaboutbrandsengagedasasponsorinsport

Afterseeingasponsorshipwhilewatchingagame,Iboughtthebrand

68%

70%70%

56%

55%

52%

68%

69%

71%

55%

50%

47%

64%

67%67%

49%

44%

39%

30%

30%

31%

24%

23%

20%

MLSFans

EPLFans

NWSLFans

NBAFans

MLBFans

NFLFans

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024,U.S.Only

Section1:Theworld’smostpopularsportisawinforbrands

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.9

am

Gameplan

Capitalizeonfootball(orsoccer)enthusiasts‘passionwithawelldefinedinvestmentstrategy.

Forrightsholders

Buildingmeaningfulandimpactfulpartnershipsrequiresalong-termperspective.Tosupportbrandandbroadcastpartnerseffectively:

•Providecomprehensiveinsightsintoyourfanbase—whotheyare,whatthey’reinterestedinandwhatdrivesthemtopurchase.

•CreatemorerobustplatformsforpartnerstotapintothegrowingfanbasesinmarketsliketheU.S.tobuildsustainablebusinesses.

•Collaboratetodefinemeasurableoutcomesalignedwithpartnergoals.

Forbrands

Footballfansaremorelikelythanthegeneralpopulationtobeinfluencedbysponsorship,affectinghowtheyperceiveabrandandwhatthey’re

likelytobuy.Toauthenticallyconnectwiththisglobalaudienceandbuildtrust,youshould:

•Identifyrelevantfanbases,athletesandteamsalignedwithyourproductsandmessaging.

•Prioritizegenuineengagementandawaytomeasureit—while

tournamentsaremajormomentswherefanstunein,investingin

leaguesandteamscanbuildlong-termloyalty.Take

MichelobUltra

.Thebrandkickedoffabigmarketingpushduringthe2024Copa

AmericatournamentandisnowtheofficialbeersponsorofMajorLeagueSoccer(MLS).Thisalsoalignswithitsparentcompany,

ABInBev,securingrightstotheupcomingFIFAtournaments.

LearnmoreabouthowNielsencanhelpyouplanyourfootballinvestmentsatthe

endofthereport

.

Women’ssportsfansarechanging thegame

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.11

Section2:Women,ssportsfansarechangingthegame

Women,ssportsaregainingpopularity

Interestinwomen’ssportsisgrowing—reaching50%ofthegeneral

populationgloballyin2024,upfrom45%in2022.Twooftheworld’s

biggestmarkets,IndiaandChina,showsomeofthehighestlevelsofinterest.ButinterestisgrowingquicklyinsmallermarketsliketheU.K.andGermany

thankstohigh-profilewins,majortournamentsandconsolidated

TVcoverage.

Somesports,inparticular,areseeingstronggrowth.Thefanbasefor

Figure2.1

Interestinwomen,ssportsingrowingAmongthegeneralpopulation

62%66%

50%

45%

38%

36%

29%

34%

22%

18%

Feb/May'22May/Aug'22Aug/Nov'22Nov'22/Feb'23Feb/May'23May/Aug'23Aug/Nov'23Nov'23/Feb'24Feb/May'24May/Aug'24Aug/Nov'24

Men'sSportsWomen'sSportsWomen'sIndividualSportsWomen'sTeamSportsWomen'sFootball

Countries:Brazil,China,France,Germany,India,Italy,Japan,SouthKorea,U.K.,U.S.

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2022-2024,Sports–Athletics,MMA,Tennis,Golf,Football,RugbyUnion,Cricket,Basketball

women‘sfootball,forexample,hasincreasedsignificantlyoverthelastfive

years,thankstomajortournaments,suchasthe2022UEFAEuropean

Women‘sChampionshipandthe2023FIFAWomen’sWorldCup.Butoneof

thebiggeststoriesinwomen’ssportshasbeenbasketball.TheWNBAfanbasehasgrownmorethan31%intwoyearsto46.9millionintheU.S.Andfansaretuningin—

viewership

forthe2024WNBAregularseasongrew201%overthepriorseason.Notsurprisingly,sponsorshipsarefollowing.Asbrandslookto

invest,theyneedtounderstandtheuniquefansthesesportsareattracting.

Figure2.2

WomenarehelpingtodrivethegrowthinWNBAfans

U.S.only

46.9M

38.2M

35.8M

59%

FemaleMale

63%

66%

41%

37%

34%

202220232024

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

FortheWNBA,womenaccountedfor41%ofU.S.fansin2024.

Section2:Women,ssportsfansarechangingthegame

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.12

Newfansopenthedoorforsponsors

Womenareincreasinglymakingupalargershareoffansforbothwomen’sandmen’ssports.In2024,womenrepresented47%offansofwomen’s

sportsand42%offansofmen’ssports,upfrom45%and40%,respectively,in2022.2Differentaudiencescallfordifferentapproaches—andunique

brandopportunities.

Supportingwomen’ssportsisnolongertherightthingtodo,it’sabusinessimperative.Withastrongfemalefandom,women’ssportsareopening

Figure2.3

Fansofwomen‘steamsportsshowhigher

intent

purchase

FantasySportsGamingservices

Sportsbettingservices

Car

Computer(Desktop/Laptop)

Rentalcar

Indexvs.GeneralPop

171

157

153

149

148

146

144

141

140

140

47%42%

30%

31%

25%

20%

39%

33%

26%

38%

33%

26%

45%39%

31%

44%38%

31%

42%30%37%

47%

42%34%

50%45%

36%

53%38%

31%

Renewableenergy

Luxuryaccessories

Tires

Consumerelectronics

Computergames/Gamesconsoles

Women'steamsportsfansMen'steamsportsfansGeneralpopulation

Q:Whichofthefollowingproducts/servicesdoyouplantobuy/useinthenextyear?(Withinthenext6months)

Countries:UK,India,China,France,Germany,Italy,Japan,USA,SouthKorea,Brazil.N1,000generalpopulationperwave

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

thedoortonewplayerswithinthesportssponsorshipspace.

We’veseenanincreaseddiversificationinsponsorcategoriesaspurchaseintentshifts.Luxurybrand

Coach

recentlybecametheofficialhandbag

partneroftheWNBA,acategorywherewomen’steamsportsfansare

significantlymorelikelytobuythanthegeneralpopulation.Andthegoodnewsforbrandslookingtoinvestisthatsimilartofootballfansglobally,

women’ssportsfansareeagertoengagewiththebrandsthatsponsortheteams,gamesandleaguestheycareabout.

Figure2.4

Fansofwomen‘steamsportsfavorbrandengagement

Ialwaystrytobeuptodateinmusic,artsandfashion

Iwouldchooseasponsor'sproductratherthanrivalbrandsifpriceandqualitywerethesame

Iactivelyinformmyselfaboutbrandsengagedasasponsorinsport

Iamoftenthefirstpersontohavenew,innovativeproducts

0%20%40%60%

●Women'steamsportsfansMen'steamsportsfansGeneralpopulation

Q:Towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements?Agree/StronglyAgree

Countries:UK,India,China,France,Germany,Italy,Japan,USA,SouthKorea,Brazil.N1,000generalpopulationperwave

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

2NielsenFanInsights,2022-2024(Brazil,China,France,Germany,India,Italy,Japan,SouthKorea,U.K.,U.S.)

Section2:Women,ssportsfansarechangingthegame

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.13

Gameplan

Don’ttakeaone-size-fits-allapproachtoreachthenewfansofwomen’ssports.

Forrightsholders

Whilewomen’ssportsaregrowinginpopularity,accessiscriticalforfansandbrandsaliketoconnectwithwomen’ssportscontent.

•Makeiteasiertobeafanthroughbroaddistributionandcross-

promotions.Atthestartofthe2025-2026season,

EnglishWomen’s

Championship

matchesexpandedaccesswithstreamingonYouTubeinadditiontocoverageonbroadcast.

•Focusongrowingandamplifyingwomen’ssportsstoriesthataddgenuinevaluetothefanexperience.

•Leveragetheabilityofwomen’ssportstoconnectbrandsdirectlywithfansbyseekingoutpartnershipswithbrandsgearedfor

femaleconsumers.

Forbrands

Thenewdemographicswhoareflockingtowomen’ssportsareopeningupopportunitiesforbrandsinindustriesthathistoricallyhaven’tinvestedheavilyinsports.

•Experimentwithdifferentsponsorshipmodels.TheWomen’sSuperLeague(WSL)andWomen‘sSuperLeague2arecurrentlyseekingaprincipalsleevesponsorforbothfootballleaguesintheU.K.

•Explorenewtypesofpartnerships.ManchesterCityWomenrecentlyannouncedapartnershipwith

snuggs

astheClub’sOfficialPeriod

UnderwearPartner—afirstinwomen’sfootball.

•Supportup-and-comingwomen’ssports.IntheU.S.,

bigbrands

like

AllyFinancialandSephoraarepartneringwithUnrivaledBasketball

League—anewwomen’sprofessionalsportsleaguefoundedwithinthelastfouryears.

LearnmoreabouthowNielsencanhelpyoutapinto

thegrowingworldofwomen’ssportsatthe

endofthereport

.

Mediaisgrowingthegamefornewformatsand

gIobaIsports

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.15

Section3:Mediaisgrowingthegamefornewformatsandglobalsports

TVisfindingnewfans

Livesportsremainapowerfuldriveroffanengagement.Overthelastyear,

we’veseenmediaownersmakebigplaysfor

sportsrightscontracts

—on

bothstreamingandlinearplatforms.Forstreamers,sportsareunlockingnewaudiences.Infact,between2022and2024,fans50andolderwhoregularlyusestreamingtoconsumesportsmediahavegrown21%.

ForlinearTV,newformatscanopenupnewaudiences.IntheU.S.,fansof

TGL

,anewinteractive,tech-infusedgolfleague,havegrown17%sincejust

theendof2024.Thesport’sfirstregularseasonaveraged513,000viewers

permatchon

ESPNplatforms

,morethancollegebasketballduringthesametimeslotthepreviousyear.It’snosecretTGLisdesignedtoattractayoungeraudiencetogrowthegameofgolf,andthat’sexactlywhatit’sdoing.LookingatTGLviewersages18-34,32%arenotregularPGATourviewers—indicatingthatthesportissuccessfullyattractinganewandyoungeraudience.

Figure3.2

TGLisfindingnewfansforgolfU.S.only

Figure3.1

Sportsstreamingisgrowingwithallsportsfans—includingolderfans

80.00%

50.00%

40.00%

60.00%

2022

2023

2024

30.00%

40.00%

SportsfansTGLfans

Golffans

20.00%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00%

0.00%

16-29

30-49

50+

Total

Age:16-29-%Age:30-49-%Age:50+-%

Countries:Brazil,China,France,Germany,India,Italy,Japan,SouthKorea,U.K.,U.S.

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2022-2024,Sports–Athletics,MMA,Tennis,Golf,Football,RugbyUnion,Cricket,Basketball

Section3:Mediaisgrowingthegamefornewformatsandglobalsports

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.16

Socialmediaisconnectingfansandbrands

Socialmediaishelpingtodrivetheglobalizationofsports.Takerugby.Whilethesporthasstrongfanbasesinseveralcountries,includingNewZealand

whereit’sthemostpopularsportand42%ofthepopulationarefans,fandominothercountriesismuchsmaller.IntheU.S.,only14%ofthepopulationarefansofthegame.Butthat’schanging.Duringlastyear’s

OlympicsGames

,

IlonaMahermade

headlines

forherimpressiveperformanceinRugby

Sevens,winningbronzeforTeamUSA,aswellashersocialmediapresence.WithinthefirstweeksincetheOlympicsopeningceremonies,IlonagrewherInstagramfollowingbymorethan141%(gaining1.1millionfollowers).3The

Figure3.3

Femalefollowersofwomen,srugbyaregrowingfasterthanmalefollowers

10.00%

7.50%

Male

Female

5.00%

2.50%

0.00%

2022

2023

2024

Q:ElementofSportfollowedbygender

Countries:Argentina,Australia,Austria,Belgium,Brazil,Canada,China,Colombia,France,Germany,India,Italy,Japan,

Netherlands,NewZealand,Portugal,SouthKorea,Spain,Switzerland,Turkey,UK,USASource:NielsenFanInsights

sportasawholeisbenefitingfromincreasedexposure.Globally,womenarestartingtofollowrugbyatafasterratethanmen.

Socialmediaandemergingsportscanalsobegrowthopportunitiesforbrandsponsors.Longpopularforcasualplay,pickleball—apaddlesportwithaspectssimilartotennis—hasseenfansgrowinseveralcountriesasprofessional

leagueshavedevelopedoverthelastdecade.Lastyear,NatureMade®tappedintothesport’sgrowingfandomwitha

socialmediacampaign

forapickle-

flavoredmultivitaminontheheelsofannouncingitspartnershipwithUSA

Figure3.4

Pickleballfandomisontheriseglobally

25.00%

20.00%

15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%

China

IndiaAustralia

Pickleballfans

Global

SouthKorea

US

Japan

Source:NielsenFanInsights,2024

PickleballTM.Askingfansiftheywere#ProPickleor#NoPicklehelpedgenerateinterestinthebrandandthesport.

Section3:Mediaisgrowingthegamefornewformatsandglobalsports

afNielsenCopyright©2025TheNielsenCompany(US),LLC.17

Gameplan

Unlocknewaudiencesandconsumersbyinvestingearlyinnewandexpandingsports.

Forrightsholders

Sportsfansareeagertofollowthegame.Considerhowdifferentteams,leaguesandmediacanhelpyoufindnewfansandaudiences.

•Expandyourunderstandingofwhothefansare,whytheylovethesportsandwhatkindofcontentthey’relookingfor.

•Don’tjustinvestattheprofessionallevel.Fornewandexpandingsports,growinginterestisimportantforbuildinglong-termfansofthesport.

•Embraceatestandlearnmindsettoidentifywhattrulyworksforfansandchannels.

Forbrands

Newformatsandglobalsportscanhavesmallbutpassionatefanswhoareeagertosupportbrandsthatinvest.

•Developamulti-platformstrategyandtailoryourmessagingtoresonatewithfanswherevertheywatch.

•Considerpartneringwithyoungtalentwhohaveanaturalconnectiontothebrand.Suchpartnershipscanraiseanathlete’sprofilewhile

deepeningbrandcredibilityandstatusamongfans.

Learnmoreaboutho