Michelob Ultra sponsors new Women’s Sports Network

Michelob Ultra is making good on part of its 2021 pledge to put $100 million towards women’s sports through a new ad and sponsorship deal with free streaming channel Women’s Sports Network. The network, launched last November, aims to increase viewership and media coverage of women’s sports by making it easier to access women’s games in one place, said Stuart McLean, CEO of Los Angeles-based Fast Studios, which owns and operates the network along with other free ad-supported streaming channels. Ad Age Leading Women and Rising Stars Last call for the annual awards Enter here Michelob Ultra is the network’s first announced brand partner, said McLean. He declined to reveal the financial terms of the Ultra deal or specify other brand partnerships. “Our goal is to go deeper with fewer brands,” he said. The Anheuser-Busch InBev beer brand’s collaboration with the network will run for a year. It includes being named the network’s official beer, as well as running ads on the network and placing its products in a bar on the set of the network’s daily show “Game On.” McLean declined to specify what other activations will look like. The Women’s Sports Network is available on Atmosphere, Amazon Freevee, Fubo, LG Channels on LG Smart TVs, Local Now, Plex, Sports.tv, Tubi, Roku, Vizio WatchFree+ and XumoPlay. The network promotes itself with banner ads on those channels directing viewers to its programming. Its viewership is currently 60% male and 40% female, said McLean. Fast Studios aims to bring viewers to Women’s Sports Network by “market(ing) women’s sports like men’s sports,” said McLean. He outlined strategies including athlete interviews on “Game On,” having a presence at women’s sports events and creating content that tells athletes' stories. “Michelob Ultra believes women’s sports fans everywhere deserve an equal experience,” said Ricardo Marques, Michelob Ultra’s VP of marketing, in a statement. “We’re proud to continue our commitment of supporting gender equality in sports by working with partners like the Women’s Sports Network to give more people access to the athletes and sports they love.” FAST—an acronym that stands for free ad-supported streaming TV—is a rising segment within the industry. Fast Studios was initially pitched as a management company for existing FAST channels handling tasks such as scheduling and ad sales, according to Variety. But it has “pivoted as a company” to create its own channels, said McLean. The Women’s Sports Network is the company’s third channel along with sports networks Racing America and Spartan TV. The partnership with Michelob Ultra comes as other brands have invested more in women’s sports. Earlier this month, Buick launched banner ads that aimed to direct viewers to women’s March Madness games. Last June, Ally's campaign for the 50th anniversary of Title IX showed female athletes playing sports, following the financial brand's announcement that it would be the presenting sponsor of the 2022 Women’s International Champions Cup. Also, women’s basketball players are seeing more NIL deals due to loyal fan bases and increasing viewership of the sport, according to a recent report by sports and entertainment platform SponsorUnited. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Michelob Ultra strikes sponsor deal with new Women’s Sports Network

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