Women’s sports have experienced significant growth, with 28.6 billion minutes of views in the U.S. in the first half of 2026, marking an 18% increase over the same period last year.
Increased Interest and Investment
Nielsen’s analysis found that 122.5 million Americans, or 52.8% of the total population, are now interested in women’s sports. Advertising spend on women’s sports is up 120% since 2022, and 52% of consumers agree that brands and sponsors should invest more in women’s sports.
The WNBA, which welcomed its first Canadian team this season, hit 3.8 billion minutes viewed for the 2026 season leading into the All-Star weekend break, with a 71% increase in sponsor valuation. Women are also becoming more present in the wider sports audience, including in fan bases across men’s leagues.
Among the estimated 16 million new sports fans, nine million are women, and 48% of U.S. women say they are very interested in at least one sport. The NBA has experienced the largest year-over-year growth in female viewership between 2024 and 2026, up 55%, while the NHL is second at 44%.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
