Despite an unflashy Finals lineup, advertisers saw strong returns from the NBA Playoffs, as new data signals a shift in how sports viewership drives value.
For years, advertisers have banked on big cities to drive big results in sports broadcasting. But new data from iSpot’s 25Q2 Summer Sports Report challenges that assumption, showing that this year’s NBA Playoffs delivered a surge in advertising reach, despite being dominated by small-market teams.
At the centre of this shift was the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, whose presence in the NBA Finals might once have set alarm bells ringing in media planning circles.
Instead, national TV ad reach during the Finals rose by 51% year-on-year, outperforming last year’s shorter Boston vs Dallas series. Across the entire playoffs, TV ad impressions were up 16%, and the Eastern Conference Finals alone saw an 84% spike in ad reach, powered in large part by the New York Knicks‘ extended run.
This momentum defied the traditional market-size logic that has long guided sponsor and broadcaster strategy. It was not the zip code, but the stakes and spectacle that drew viewers in.
With the Knicks adding legacy weight and the Finals delivering competitive basketball, the result was a high-impact platform for brands, irrespective of team geography.
NHL faces tougher terrain without heavyweights
The NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, by contrast, painted a more familiar picture.
With multiple Canadian clubs in the mix and key US teams like the Bruins and Rangers absent, ad reach fell 13.5% year-on-year. The Finals were hit even harder, down 31% on 2024. Despite a gripping storyline, including a dramatic near-comeback by Edmonton, the lack of heavyweight American markets proved difficult to overcome.
However, engagement levels among hockey fans remained impressive. The NHL reached 15.2% of U.S. households, while the NBA reached 29.7%. More tellingly, 78% of NHL playoff viewers also tuned into NBA games, versus just 51.6% in the other direction.
It suggests NHL fans may be among the most engaged multi-sport viewers on the calendar, providing a unique cross-sell opportunity for savvy advertisers.
Brands follow the data as viewing patterns shift
Advertisers themselves leaned into these nuances. Quick service restaurants (QSRs) went big on the NBA, accounting for 12% of all household TV ad impressions during live playoff games. That was significantly higher than the next most active sector, automotive brands at 9.15%.
The NBA topped all programmes in terms of QSR visitor reach, hitting 44.9%, comfortably ahead of ABC World News Tonight at 30.5%. For brands targeting in-store fast food customers, there was no better place to be.
The NHL, meanwhile, proved fruitful ground for auto brands. During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, automotive advertisers captured 11.7% of TV ad impressions, the highest of any industry. NHL games also reached 15.4% of US auto intenders, just behind the NBA and MLB.
Interestingly, both leagues showed strong levels of unique reach among this group, suggesting differentiated audiences across sports properties despite the seasonal overlap.
A summer of value
Beyond the headline leagues, summer sports offered more pockets of value.
WNBA ad impressions rose 5% year-on-year, buoyed by increased national coverage, Caitlin Clark’s impact, and the New York Liberty’s continued success. The Jack Link’s 500 NASCAR race delivered the second-highest ad reach of any live programme on April 27, outperforming both the NBA and NHL on that date.
Meanwhile, T-Mobile’s MLB ads delivered an attention rate 28% above the norm, with several placements exceeding 90% above benchmark — proof that smart creative can still cut through, even in saturated environments.
What all of this underscores is a change in how sports advertising performance is measured and what truly drives return. As iSpot notes, advertisers are buying ad placements. The company’s ad-first measurement approach rejects broad-brush assumptions about ratings and market size, instead focusing on granular, cross-platform impact.
And that is perhaps the most important takeaway of all. The rules are changing.
In a media landscape where attention is splintered, loyalty is fluid, and sports fans are increasingly platform-agnostic, the idea that only marquee cities drive value looks increasingly outdated.
What might be undervalued today could well be tomorrow’s most efficient buy.
