
The stakes are high when it comes to advertising during football’s biggest games as the cost of advertising continues to rise, with the average 30-second TV ad during the 2023-24 Sunday Night Football season priced at $882K. With record viewership at the College Football Playoff and the Super Bowl drawing in 123.7 million average viewers, the largest TV audience on record, it’s no surprise that brands are willing to pay those prices since football games are prime time for reaching engaged audiences. In fact, an estimated 51% of viewers search for an ad they saw during the game, underscoring the potential of second-screen engagement to amplify campaign impact. Whether you advertise on TV during these games or not, brands are exploring how they can use football season to drive a deeper connection to their audience. To do this, brands need data driven strategies.
In this blog post, we’ll reveal audience segments designed for you to craft tailored marketing strategies that resonate with football fans in the stands and on the couch. You can find the complete audience segment name in the appendix.
Make a game-winning play with Experian Audiences
With playoff season fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to go on the offensive and target football fans. Utilize Experian’s syndicated audiences to ensure your marketing messages resonate with fans when they’re the most engaged.
- Experian’s 2,400+ syndicated audiences are available directly on over 30 leading television, social, and programmatic advertising platforms.
- Reach consumers based on who they are, where they live, and what they do using data ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset.
- Run omnichannel campaigns based on a reliable understanding of households, people, digital identifiers, and marketing attributes.
Four football audience categories to add to your advertising lineup
Football fans come in all shapes, sizes, and viewing habits. From dedicated supporters to casual viewers, targeting the right audience can make or break your campaign.
Here are four football audience categories you can target:
- Sports enthusiasts
- College football fans
- 21+ audiences
- TV viewers
Let’s huddle up and break down the audience segments within each category. Whether it’s tailgating, tuning in, or cheering from the stands, these insights will get your campaign into the end zone.
Sports enthusiasts

Whether they’re following their favorite teams, attending games in person, or watching professional sports events on TV, football fans are deeply engaged, making them an ideal target for advertisers looking to score big.
Here are five audiences to target:
- NFL Enthusiasts
- Football (FLA/Fair Lending Friendly)1
- Sports Enthusiasts
- NFL Stadium Visitors
- Professionals Sports Event
College football fans

College football fans bring unmatched passion and loyalty, with bowl games during the 2023 season drawing on average of 4.6 million viewers across 40 total games—a 5% increase year-over-year. From students to alumni, these fans represent an invaluable opportunity for advertisers to connect with a deeply invested audience.
Here are four audiences to target to connect with passionate college football fans:
- College Football Stadium Visitors
- College Football Bowls
- College Students
- College Sports Venues
21+ audiences

With 84% of U.S adults reporting that they drink alcohol while watching football on TV, targeting 21+ audiences during game season is a winning play. Whether they’re cracking open a cold one at a tailgate, hosting a game-day party, or relaxing on the couch, these audiences represent a key audience for brands looking to tap into football culture.
Here are four audiences that you can target this post season:
- Imported Light Beer Enthusiasts
- Domestic/Imported Beer
- High-end Spirit Drinkers
- Discretionary spend: Alcohol and wine $331 – $726
These audiences can help you serve up campaigns that pour directly into the heart of football fandom.
TV viewers

Football games attract some of the most engaged and diverse TV audiences, with 85% of sports fans preferring to watch live sports on TV rather than in-person. Notably, for the first time, viewers aged 18 to 49 spent the majority of their sports viewing time (54%) via streaming. This shift highlights the immense opportunity for advertisers to connect with highly attentive viewers tuned into every play.
Here are seven audiences that you can use to create a game-winning strategy to reach engaged TV watching football fans:
- Cable Satellite or Streaming Network Subscribers
- Streaming Video: High Spenders
- Cord Cutters
- Cable and Streaming TV Service Subscribers
- Paid TV High Spenders
- Screen Size – Large
- Co-Watchers
Whether they’re catching the action on a large TV screen or streaming from their phone, these audiences will help you craft campaigns that deliver results with highly engaged viewers.
Score big with Experian this postseason
As some of football’s biggest games approach, it’s time to huddle up and connect with consumers who live for the thrill of the game.Whether they’re tuning in to cheer for their favorite teams, tailgating with friends, or enjoying the game-day experience from home, Experian Marketing Data provides the playbook to score big with targeting, enrichment, and activation. With Experian’s data-driven insights, you can turn every opportunity into a game-winning play!
You can activate our syndicated audiences on-the-shelf of most major platforms. For a full list of Experian’s syndicated audiences and activation destinations, download our syndicated audiences guide.
Explore our other seasonal audiences that you can activate today.
1 “Fair Lending Friendly” indicates data fields that Experian has made available without use of certain demographic attributes that may increase the likelihood of discriminatory practices prohibited by the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”) and Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”). These excluded attributes include, but may not be limited to, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, disability, handicap, family status, ancestry, sexual orientation, unfavorable military discharge, and gender. Experian’s provision of Fair Lending Friendly indicators does not constitute legal advice or otherwise assures your compliance with the FHA, ECOA, or any other applicable laws. Clients should seek legal advice with respect to your use of data in connection with lending decisions or application and compliance with applicable laws.
Appendix
Sports enthusiasts
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Activities and Entertainment > NFL Enthusiasts
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Sports and Recreation > Sports Enthusiast
- Mobile Location Models > Visits > NFL Stadium Visitors
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Sports > Football (FLA / Fair Lending Friendly)2 Travel Intent > Activities > Professional Sports Event
College sports fans
- Mobile Location Models > Visits > University Stadium College Football Visitor
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Sports > College Football Bowls
- Mobile Location Models > Visits > College Students
- Mobile Location Models > Visits > College Sport Venues
21+ audiences
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Activities and Entertainment > Imported Light Beer Enthusiasts
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > In-Market > Domestic/Imported Beer
- Lifestyle and Interests (Affinity) > Retail > High-end Spirit Drinkers
- Financial – Analytics IQ > Discretionary Spend > Alcohol and Wine: $331-$726
TV viewers
- Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Cable Satellite or Streaming Network Subscribers
- Retail Shoppers: Purchase Based > Entertainment > Streaming/Video/Audio/CTV/Cable TV: Streaming Video: High Spenders
- Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Cord Cutters
- Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Cable and Streaming Service Subscribers
- Television (TV) > TV Enthusiasts > Paid TV High Spenders
- Television (TV) > Viewing Device Type > Screen Size – Large
- Television (TV) > Household/Family Viewing > Co-Watchers
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Signal loss: A rich appetizer of alternate ingredients As traditional cookies crumble, marketers need fresh ingredients to keep the flavor coming. Already, about 40% of browser traffic doesn’t support third-party cookies, and marketers are spicing things up with first-party data, alternative identifiers like Unified I.D. 2.0 (UID2) and ID5, and contextual targeting strategies. In fact, 50% more of our clients received alternative IDs (UID2, ID5, Hadron ID) in their Digital Graph in 2024 compared to 2023. The number of alternative IDs resolved to individuals in our Digital Graph increased by 30% year-over-year – as everyone looks beyond the cookie jar. There is no secret sauce to replace cookies. Instead, expect a multi-ID recipe that brings together different identifiers, unified by an identity graph. This approach turns a fragmented pantry of data into a cohesive meal, giving you a complete view of your customer on every plate. 2. The rising power of CTV: A hearty entrée of opportunities CTV is quickly becoming the main dish on the streaming menu, as viewers load up on their favorite shows. While CTV is slated to make up 20% of daily U.S. media consumption by 2026, advertisers are still holding back on pouring in the ad spend. To unlock its full flavor, marketers need to whip up solutions like frequency capping and unified audience activation. Although CTV will account for 20% of daily U.S. media consumption by 2026, it’s projected to command only 8.1% of ad spend. Frequency capping and unified audience activation solutions will be key to unlocking CTV’s full potential. By 2025, nearly half of CTV "diners" will choose free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST). Marketers need strategies to prevent ad overexposure. With 50% of U.S. consumers avoiding products due to ad overload, and 30% of marketers willing to increase their CTV spend if frequency capping improves, unified identity solutions help ensure every impression is served just right. 3. Omnichannel: A flavorful fusion plate No one likes a one-flavor meal. Marketers are moving beyond single-channel “side dishes” to omnichannel “fusion feasts” that blend direct mail, digital, CTV, and retail media networks (RMNs) into a truly cohesive culinary experience. Even though only 21% of global B2C professionals currently put omnichannel at the top of their shopping list, the growing demand for seamless, audience-first campaigns is heating up. In 2025, having an audience-first approach will be like having a perfect pairing for every course. Unified identity solutions act as your master sommelier, ensuring that each channel complements the next, and every customer enjoys a well-rounded, memorable journey. Vertical trends: A dessert sampler from four unique kitchens Different markets have their own signature flavors. In Auto, crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) claim 51% of new vehicle registrations, and consumers in the 35-54 age group and families are the primary buyers. Automotive marketers should prioritize CUV advertising with a strong focus on family-oriented and income-appropriate messaging In Financial Services, marketers need to anticipate shifts in consumer behavior tied to economic conditions, such as increasing demand for deposit products when interest rates are high. For insurance, aligning campaigns with life events, like new home purchases or marriage, can maximize engagement. In Healthcare, advertisers are prioritizing personalized, regulation-compliant campaigns that address social determinants of health (SDOH). In Retail, advertisers are increasingly activating on both CTV and social platforms, with many managing their own in-house campaigns. While larger brands often rely on media agencies, a shift toward in-house media buying is emerging among some bigger players, offering more control over audience targeting and performance metrics. Our report covers each vertical’s unique menu, helping you select the right “ingredients” for your customers. With the top Experian Audiences on hand, you can create feasts that delight, nourish, and convert. Hungry for more? Download our full menu The three “samples” you’ve just tasted are just the starters. Our 2025 Digital trends and predictions report serves up five insights, complete with strategies, data, and tools to help you adapt, scale, and thrive in 2025. Ready for the full menu? Download our report now and discover all five trends that will shape your marketing “cookbook” in 2025. Bon appétit! Download now Latest posts
