Advertising for What’s Next: Why Summer Sports Are a Game-Changer for Local Businesses
Summer isn’t just a season — it’s a whole mindset. Longer days, packed patios with backyard barbeques, and a steady lineup of live sports that bring people together night after night. From Major League Baseball games to major golf tournaments and must-watch tennis events, summer sports create one of the most consistent, powerful advertising opportunities of the year.
And for local businesses? It’s a chance to show up when your audience is tuned in, relaxed, and ready to engage with programming they’ve been looking forward to.
Baseball is your ticket to built-in frequency (and local reach).
There’s nothing quite like baseball in the summer. With a 162-game season, MLB offers something no other sport can: daily opportunities to connect with your audience. Plus, viewership is on the rise. In 2025, the MLB regular season saw a 38% combined increase across FOX and TBS. Last year’s MLB All-Star Game boasted 7.2 million viewers on FOX, making it the most-watched All-Star event in history.
“The MLB has taken strides to improve this year’s ‘All-Star experience,’ which will take place July 14th on FOX,” said Chris Vaughan, director of product development at Optimum Media. “This will be a must-see weekend for baseball fans! It’s all happening in Philadelphia, during the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, and key events will include the MLB draft and Home Run Derby in addition to the All-Star Game.”
Here’s what that means for your business: Whether fans are watching at home, streaming on their phones, or catching a game at their favorite local spot, your brand has repeated chances to stay top of mind. And because many games are regionally broadcast, businesses can tap into hyperlocal audiences that actually live and spend in your community.
It’s not just reach — it’s relevance, over and over again.
Golf, tennis, and soccer bring you premium, engaged audiences.
Summer also tees up some of the most prestigious events in sports — from golf’s U.S. Open to soccer’s iconic FIFA World Cup, and the US Open in tennis.
These events consistently draw millions of viewers, many of whom are highly engaged and tuned in for hours at a time. And, with star athletes garnering attention, the audience is growing in this piece of the sports world, too. Last year, the PGA saw a 22% increase in viewership. What’s even more meaningful to your campaign’s results is that these audiences often include affluent, decision-making consumers, making them especially valuable for industries like healthcare, home services, finance, and retail. According to Scarborough Research, 81% of tennis fans are college educated and 72% own their homes.
Let’s not forget about the excitement in the world of soccer with the FIFA World Cup, holding its famed tournament this June and July. This event will be particularly useful to those targeting a younger audience, with 76% of U.S. fans falling into the Gen Z and Millennial generations according to Nielsen Fan Insights. With the events occurring in U.S. time zones this year, we expect continued U.S. viewership growth.
Demographics are slightly different for these sports, but all three are seeing growth in viewership in addition to expected overlap of fans watching multiple sports.
The takeaway: Your message isn’t just reaching people; it’s consistently reaching an audience with substantial buying power.
Every screen counts.
Today’s fans aren’t just watching — they’re multitasking across screens. Checking stats, streaming alternate feeds, scrolling highlights, and sharing moments in real time. Maybe even shopping! Regardless, studies show that 64% of viewers pay attention to ads during live sports, and 80% actually remember them. In a world where skipping and scrolling are the norm, that kind of attention is a game-changer.
With Optimum Media, you can build a multiscreen strategy that meets your audience wherever they are, on:
Traditional TV: delivering live, big-screen impact during those adrenaline pumping moments.
Streaming TV: bringing targeted, unskippable ads in premium, engaging environments.
Digital & Mobile: adding an interactive element with formats that drive immediate action. (Hello, retailers!)
That’s exactly what makes advertising successful today, and in the future: reaching consumers where they are.
And with millions of viewers now streaming live sports each month, your campaign goes beyond awareness, to deliver real engagement across screens, and ultimately, results.
With live sports, you win more than just the game.
When you tap into summer sports with Optimum Media, you’re building real impact and momentum for your message in the form of:
Consistent visibility across an entire season
Unskippable placements in high-attention moments
Premium content alignment that elevates your brand
Multiscreen reach that reinforces your message
Advanced targeting using real audience data
Measurable results with real-time performance insights
Flexibility to adjust your campaign as your business evolves
What all of this really means is that your message shows up in the moments that matter the most, whenever and wherever that may be. Frequency and consistency during the summer months is a strategic move that builds awareness leading into the NCAA and NFL football season, and the natural spending uptick that many businesses expect in Q4.
Ready to make this summer your winning season?
From first pitch to final round, summer sports offer a steady chain of exciting, engaging opportunities. And with a little strategic guidance from our team of advertising professionals, you can turn that engagement into action and results for your business.
Live sports placements make it easy to create a campaign that puts your message in the right place, at the right time, all summer long.
