Men’s March Madness ad inventory is virtually sold out as the live sports market frenzy continues

The men’s March Madness tournament has “virtually sold out” of ad inventory, according to Ryan Briganti, executive VP, head of sports sales, Paramount. The NCAA basketball tournament saw ad demand ramp up faster than in years past, Briganti said, continuing market trends seen for live tentpoles including the Super Bowl and Oscars. Ad revenue is “ahead of last year,” Briganti added, declining to specify exact amounts. See all of Ad Age’s 2025 Agency A-List winners here Although the sell-out announcement is similarly timed to last year’s, three media buyers confirmed that sales for men’s March Madness paced well ahead of their usual rate. One noted that in past years, inventory for the tournament would be available leading into the tournament or throughout it as clients sought specific team matchups, but that the buyer’s agency had received a note mid-February that the tournament was nearing sell-out and clients should hurry to secure buys. “These tentpole events are just flying,” said the buyer, who described it as the trend as the new norm for the sports marketplace at large. “We’re talking talking about [next year’s] Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, World Cup now. Those marketplaces are heavy and active right now.” The Men’s NCAA tournament begins March 18, with games airing on CBS, TNT, TBS and TruTV as well as simulcasting on Paramount+ and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max. This year’s Final Four National Semifinals will air on April 5 with the National Championship following on April 7, both on CBS. The price for 30 seconds of ad time in the championship game on CBS is in the range of $2 million with some variation higher or lower based on historical relationships and broader buys, according to three media buyers. An additional media buyer also noted that corporate partners may pay prices much lower depending on their individual deals and speed to market. More than 20 NCAA corporate sponsors, or advertisers with historical deals that grant first-look at inventory and sponsorships, are participating in this year’s tournament, with more than 50% of this year’s inventory sold to those partners early in dealmaking, said Jon Diament, executive VP, advertising sales at Warner Bros. Discovery. Diament added that the timing of the tournament’s games—some air during the day on weekdays—lends itself to cross-channel packages or additional ad programs around digital and mobile viewing or out-of-home viewing in bars, all of which is also “virtually sold out” as well. Briganti added that the digital extensions of the tournament allow the partners to create lower-cost inventory for new advertisers entering sports marketing, although neither specified the number of new advertisers for this year. Brand integrations in the tournament also saw high interest, with Diament noting over 100 integrations with athletes, on-air talent, celebrities and analysts, as examples, set for the tournament, part of which is driven by the growth of NIL marketing. The executives added that marketing categories that showed the most significant growth in buy-in for March Madness include insurance, pharma, auto, banking and travel. While live sports ad inventory has been moving faster overall, the men’s NCAA tournament has also seen a lift from the surge of interest in women’s sports. Diament said the interest in the women’s tournament, hosted by ESPN, increases interest in the NCAA, which also leads additional advertisers to buy into both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Men’s March Madness ad inventory is virtually sold out as the live sports market frenzy continues

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