As the 2025 college football season kicks off, ESPN’s seeing a real surge in advertiser interest. It’s a sign that the sport’s commercial clout just keeps growing.
College sports now make up a huge chunk of TV sports ad revenue. ESPN’s strategic moves and creative scheduling are bringing in both loyal and brand-new advertisers.
College Football: A Major Player in Sports Advertising
When 80% of ESPN’s advertisers are buying into college sports, you know something big is happening. College football’s now the second most popular sport in the U.S., right behind the NFL.
Nick Dawson, ESPN’s SVP of college sports programming and acquisitions, points out that college football’s spot in American fandom is hard to argue with. All that popularity is turning into real dollars—college sports now account for 40% of total TV sports ad revenue.
Advertiser Demand and Revenue Growth
College football’s commercial momentum started building at the spring upfronts. Jim Minnich, Disney Advertising’s SVP of revenue and yield management, said there are “double-digit-type clients who return year after year.”
ESPN networks control about 70% of this valuable market. For this season, ESPN’s almost sold out, with over 90% of regular season slots and 85% of College Football Playoff (CFP) slots already claimed.
Some advertisers are even trying to squeeze in more money for certain games or time slots. The demand’s honestly kind of wild.
This year, about 34 new advertisers have jumped in—a 15% jump from last year, which was already a record-breaker for ESPN’s revenue. There are fresh faces from toy stores and online currency/crypto, and brands targeting women are finding college football to be a great fit.
Strategic Scheduling and New Opportunities
ESPN’s scheduling decisions have been a big part of the revenue spike. The network’s now in its second season with full rights to the SEC, which opens up more big opportunities.
Most advertisers seem to prefer buying across the whole season, not just one-off time slots. That lets them catch any big storylines that pop up—something that can really boost engagement and ad impact.
Friday Night Football and NBA Changes
One interesting twist: ESPN’s putting more focus on Friday night college football games. Since ESPN’s NBA package is changing, there aren’t Friday night NBA games in October and November anymore.
So, ESPN’s teamed up with the ACC and Big 12 to create some can’t-miss Friday night matchups. Dawson says this is all about keeping the content strong and steady, using the NBA’s absence to draw more eyes to college football.
The Scatter Market and Pricing Trends
The scatter market—where advertisers buy ad slots closer to air time—has stayed strong for ESPN. Minnich mentioned that scatter prices have seen double-digit jumps over upfronts, which shows advertisers are really betting on college football’s value.
It’s a sign that the sport’s become a serious way to reach all kinds of viewers, not just the usual crowd.
New Advertiser Categories and Returning Brands
This season, five new advertiser categories have shown up, with toy stores and crypto leading the way. Brands aimed at women are still spending big, seeing college football as a way to reach wide audiences.
It all points to a shifting sports ad world. Brands want to connect with the passionate, diverse college football fan base—who can blame them?
Future Outlook and Strategic Adjustments
Looking forward, ESPN plans to keep fine-tuning its scheduling strategies. Dawson said the network will keep tweaking things year by year, aiming to stay sharp and responsive to what’s happening in the market.
The 2025 college football season could be a turning point for ESPN. Advertisers are showing more interest than ever, and revenue is on the rise.
Strategic scheduling is helping, along with a lively scatter market. New types of advertisers are also jumping in, which feels like a big shift.
ESPN seems ready to ride this wave of college football’s growing popularity. There’s a sense that both the network and its advertisers have a lot to look forward to, though who really knows what’s next?
If you want a deeper dive into what’s driving all this, check out the full article on Sports Business Journal.
- Schools Covered
- College Football Articles
- Men's College Basketball Articles
- Men's College Soccer Articles
- Women's College Basketball Articles
- Olympic Athlete Articles
- Men's College Baseball Articles
- College Sports Media Professionals Articles
- Hall of Fame Member Articles
- Former College Player Articles
- Game Previews
