It’s a moment that PWHL will look to build on as its 2025-26 regular season returns to action Thursday, though it’s giving fans plenty of opportunities to further engage with the league in the meantime. Recently, the PWHL was the center of Peacock’s latest installment of its women’s sports-focused docuseries “The Rise,” offering a behind-the-scenes look at “The Inaugural Season of the PWHL.” Earlier this month, the league highlighted the success of its grassroots work in celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, where it predicted an impact of over 20,000 participants across initiatives like the PWHL Mentorship Program and partnership with the Grindstone Award Foundation.

As it looks to take the next step, the PWHL announced a partnership with Oak View Group’s Global Partnerships unit to serve as the league’s exclusive sponsorship sales partner. Oak View will oversee national, regional and local sponsorship offerings for PWHL and its eight franchises, with a focus on “identifying and developing innovative partnership opportunities that elevate the PWHL’s brand presence, drive revenue, and create meaningful connections with fans.”

PWHL’s early trajectory among fans and partners puts the league in a position of uncapped potential—hence its recognition as the Sports League of the Year at the 2026 Cynopsis Sports Awards. Cynopsis Sports caught up with PWHL’s EVP, Business Operations Amy Scheer to find out more about how the league has grown in a short period of time, as well as what’s in store for the future.

What do you think the PWHL has gotten “most right” to allow the league to scale so quickly?
At its core, the PWHL is an incredible product. We have the best women’s hockey players in the world in one place, with 61 players competing for their respective countries at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, representing 30 percent of our league. PWHL games are physical, fast, and competitive. There is great competitive balance across the league meaning every single game and every single shift is important. When you pair an exciting, compelling on-ice product with the fact that the women’s game is more accessible than ever through broadcast and in-arena, we’ve been able to grow our fanbase incredibly quickly. Part of the reason the in-person experience has been so accessible is because of the PWHL Takeover Tour™, a series of regular-season games played outside of each team’s primary home arena and market. Last season, we had nine Takeover Tour games and this season, we’ll have 16 games. The success of the Takeover Tour has allowed us to quickly build fandom in more markets and test cities for potential expansion. While our current league is only eight teams, we’ll have hosted games in a total of 23 markets by the end of the 2025-26 season.

What has been the most surprising aspect of the league’s early traction with fans, partners and media?
By every measure, we are ahead of where we thought the league would be in Season Three. A major benchmark is league attendance, up 17 percent this season through 61 games at the Olympic break. We’ve surpassed half a million fans in attendance already this season alone and are on pace to surpass one million fans this season across the regular season and playoffs. For comparison, we reached one million all-time fans in March last year, so are pacing to double our all-time attendance this season.

A big part of that success has come from our two West Coast expansion teams, the Seattle Torrent and Vancouver Goldeneyes, who quickly became two of our strongest markets and have set a new bar for future expansion. In their respective inaugural home openers, the Goldeneyes set an attendance record at the time for the largest crowd at a team’s primary home venue (14,958); the Torrent then broke that record and set a new U.S. arena record at the time for the largest attendance for a women’s hockey game (16,014).

While there are many more metrics I could point to, to me it speaks to the distinctive community atmosphere the league and our fans have created around PWHL games. When you’re at our games, there is an overwhelming positivity in the building, a sense of family and community where everyone feels welcome and included. The distinct in-arena environment we’ve created and that our fans have fostered has been a special part of growing the PWHL and its unique identity.

How does the league evaluate future expansion opportunities? What factors matter most when those discussions take place?
We look at several factors when evaluating potential expansion markets. Important areas include the availability and quality of facilities for games and training; economic and partnership opportunities; media reach; demonstrated community and fan support; and the strength and growth of youth hockey in the region. Beyond allowing us to bring the live PWHL fan experience to new cities, Takeover Tour stops also give us a chance to better understand how different markets engage with the PWHL as we evaluate future opportunities, including expansion.

The PWHL has a wide range of brand partnerships. What types of categories or collaborations do you see as the next wave of commercial growth?
Partnerships is another area where we’ve seen strong growth. This season, we’ve expanded our portfolio from 54 to 78 partners across our teams and league. Those results are driven by the benefit our partners are seeing, with 100 percent responding that they consider their relationship with the PWHL to be a successful partnership. We are continuing to solidify a PWHL brand that is attractive to a wide range of partners, being ranked number one in Canada for corporate reputation in both 2024 and 2025 by the Harris Poll.

PWHL Takeover Tour has been another partnerships driver. The Tour has more than doubled its partner roster from Season Two to Three, becoming a key entry point for brands to begin their relationship with the PWHL, and expand their reach across a variety of North American markets.

Our league sponsorship strategy overall is focused on growing the women’s game while creating a more equitable and inclusive future in hockey. We are intentional about aligning with brands that share that commitment through purpose-driven, high-impact sports partnerships. A big part of that strategy is knowing PWHL fans are unique from traditional sports fans: our fanbase is more than 60% female; highly engaged with the league both in-arena and online; and overall skews younger and family-oriented, so as our partnership collaborations grow, they need to continue to resonating with our unique audience to maintain their impact.

What did you learn about the overall demand for women’s hockey during the Takeover Tour?
There is no shortage of demand for women’s hockey across North America. This season, we expanded Takeover Tour to 16 neutral site games across 11 cities, including seven cities we’re visiting for the first time. Importantly, many of our Takeover Tour attendees have never experienced the PWHL or even a game at the venue we’re playing at, so we’re not just drawing traditional hockey or sports fans but reaching a largely new audience. For example, during 2024-25 PWHL Takeover Tour stops in predominantly NHL markets, internal ticketing data shows that 40 to 80 percent of attendees in these venues were first-time visitors to the arena, signaling that the league is reaching a new fan base—not just tapping into existing NHL audiences.

The Takeover Tour stop in Washington, DC was a high point, setting a new benchmark for women’s hockey in the United States with a record-setting crowd of 17,228 fans at Capital One Arena – the most ever in a US arena for a women’s hockey game, breaking Seattle’s record from their home opener. The city showed up in such a big way, and the energy our fans brought into the arena turned the game into something truly special. Moments like this capture the joy of our sport and the momentum behind the league.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities to grow visibility over the next 12-24 months?
A major moment for visibility has been this year’s Milano Cortina Olympic Games – the first Olympics where women’s hockey arrived with a fully established, well-resourced professional league behind it, signaling a significant shift for our sport. Not only did the PWHL mean players arrived at the Winter Olympics coming off professional-level competition and resources every day, which elevates the game itself, but for the first time, new fans who watched our players for the first time at Milano Cortina 2026 can now follow them after the games through the PWHL. While we’re actively tracking metrics, we’re already seeing significant growth through individual player and league social media followers, website traffic, and merchandise sales, showing accelerating interest despite a pause in PWHL game play.

We’re also preparing for our second round of expansion in the coming months, which will bring the league from eight to 10 or 12 teams in Season Four, and another edition of the PWHL Takeover Tour, both of which will continue expanding our footprint to new cities across North America.

“This franchise is about more than showcasing games—it’s about building a consistent, high-profile destination that reflects the passion, excellence and cultural impact of women’s sports today, while giving athletes and leagues the stage they deserve,” ESPN EVP, Programming & Acquisitions Rosalyn Durant said.

NBC Sports’ coverage of this year’s NBA All-Star game had 8.8 million viewers across NBC, Peacock and Telemundo, the event’s largest audience since 2011. While we’re waiting on final numbers from its overall Olympics coverage, NBC Sports’ latest update had it at 24.1 million through Feb. 19. On the brand collaboration side, NBCUniversal noted that the Milan Cortina Games generated a 5% more positive sentiment on social media compared to the Paris Summer Games and a 20% higher purchase intent.

After a record year in 2025, ESPN’s studio shows teamed up for a 13% viewership increase YOY in January. The bump was led by “Get Up” and “The Pat McAfee Show” having their best months ever with 518,000 and 575,000 viewers, respectively, while “First Take” (598,000), “NFL Live” (564,000) and “Pardon the Interruption” (884,000) each showed ratings gains. “SportsCenter” was up 11% overall with an average of 643,000, led by “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” with 1.9 million viewers and the general midnight edition recording 620,000.

The Daytona 500 returned without a weather-related delay, reeling in 7.49 million viewers compared to last year’s 6.76 million. That’s the best viewership since 2023 when the race had 8.17 million fans watching, and it beat all non-primetime Olympics programming on broadcast and cable.

Golf is also back in action, and CBS Sports said its coverage of the Waste Management Phoenix Open final round was the most-watched in seven years. Final-day coverage improved by 32% YOY to 3.78 million, with the peak reaching 4.93 million.

Fox Sports had its fifth-most-watched men’s college basketball game ever earlier this month. Michigan’s win over Michigan State in East Lansing averaged 2.76 million viewers and peaked at 3.33 million. That’s also good for the most-watched “Fox College Basketball Friday” game ever.

Out-of-home firm OUTFRONT Media was tapped as the official OOH advertising partner of the 2026 ABB FIA Formula E Miami E-Prix and an associate partner of Chance. Accelerated. Live: Miami. It’s a one-year deal that’ll have OUTFRONT receive Formula E’s IP rights, which lets it use official branding across marketing campaigns, creative executions and client activations. For the launch of their partnership, OUTFRONT and Formula E initiated a city-wide campaign surrounding Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and International Autodrome, including digital signage, banners, media backdrops and transit media throughout the South Florida area.

Toyota became the first Official Automotive Sponsor of Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Toyota will get prominent brand integrations within the venue’s live entertainment ecosystem, as well as digital and physical signage, on-site vehicle displays and the naming rights to a VIP suite entrance. What’s more: fans attending select events at T-Mobile Arena this Fall will have the opportunity to win a new Toyota 4Runner.

Sports and live entertainment company AEG is partnering with the largest veteran service organization in the U.S. to bring vets to more hockey games. Veteran Tickets (Vet Tix) will work with the NHL’s L.A. Kings and AHL’s Ontario Reign to provide veterans, active service members, current and retired first responders and their families with complimentary tickets to Kings and Reign games. The collaboration also includes digital storytelling elements throughout both teams’ platforms and commercial prospects during home games. If the Kings and/or Reign make the postseason, special ticket access will be available through Vet Tix.

AEG also entered a pact with SEGA to make the gaming entertainment company an official partner of L.A. LIVE, a 4-million-square-foot sports and live entertainment district located in downtown L.A. SEGA will be able to host on-site activations at L.A. LIVE, which hosts awards shows, concerts, sporting events and more.

The 2026 Convergent TV Awards finalists have been announced — and March 5 in NYC is almost here. Be there as we recognize the executives, teams, and platforms redefining convergent TV and unveil the winners live during the Awards Celebration.

See the finalists. Join us in NYC.

VIEW FINALISTS & JOIN US IN NYC

Kelly Hayes, Head of Agency Growth at Adswerve, is among those who believe the fragmentation in today’s sports gives brands the ability to meet the unique moments where sports, culture and commerce intersect. We spoke with Hayes and she offered her insights.

While the American Eagle ad sparked debate, Gap leaned into pure, kinetic joy and stayed true to their roots. They turned a passive scrolling moment into a high-intent ‘micro-moment’ by making the product part of a participation loop. We didn’t just see people watching the ad; we saw a viral explosion of creators performing the choreography in Gap denim and posting unboxing hauls.

By embracing their heritage with a modern aesthetic, Gap transformed a distracted audience into an active one. The brand saw double-digit sales growth, 8 billion impressions, and 500 million views. It proved that when a brand provides value through cultural resonance rather than just adding to the clutter, ‘distraction’ becomes the ultimate gateway to engagement.

You also point out that fans are jumping between live streams, betting apps and social media. How should brands go about deciding which part to prioritize when their budget isn’t infinite?
Most budgets aren’t infinite, so brands must shift from ‘buying the game’ to ‘buying the fan.’ This type of shift requires a disciplined measurement framework to identify your investment ceiling across tactics. It’s easy to believe that a spot during the game bought at a CPM premium is the gold standard, but for many that investment stops yielding incremental returns long before the whistle blows.

Instead of chasing broad scale, marketers should prioritize shoulder environments – sports podcasts, betting apps, reaction vlogs on YouTube, socials, etc. In these environments, engagement is high but CPMs are more manageable. This type of strategy requires a controlled reach and frequency, because you want to balance reaching the right audience in the environments they exist while watching games.

Most importantly, you have to be willing to sacrifice wide scale for deep impact. As a native Chicago sports fan, while I watched the Bears versus the Rams NFL game a few weeks ago, I am not a regular football viewer. If a brand spends its limited budget trying to reach a ‘casual’ viewer like me just because I’m tuned in, they’re likely wasting dollars.

Marketers are far better off targeting the ‘super-fan’ whose intent is proven across multiple platforms rather than the passive viewer who just happens to be in the room for a marquee moment.

What’s the biggest mistake agencies make when trying to manage a fragmented sports buy across multiple platforms?
The mistake I see the most is agencies that rely on the reporting provided by individual platforms rather than maintaining an independent source of truth. Without a unified ad server or a data infrastructure that de-duplicates reach and streamlines output across digital and linear, you end up in a game of ‘he-said-she-said’ where every publisher fights for credit. At a bare minimum, agencies need a framework that cuts through noise to prove incremental value.

I also regularly see agencies over-prioritizing premium live-game inventory simply because it’s what the client expects. While being front-and-center during the game is high-prestige, it often ignores the lower-funnel impact of the surrounding ‘shoulder’ content and predictive marketing tactics that consumers expect. Agencies who lead their clients toward actual impact rather than just catering to the desire for visibility, often achieve better results because they are optimizing for the fan’s entire journey rather than just a single moment of prestige.

Sports have traditionally been viewed as a wide-reaching play. However, you argue it’s becoming a “premium performance channel.” What metrics should marketers be looking for beyond impressions?
First, look past the sheer volume of eyes on a screen and focus on audience quality and directional intent. An impression is effectively a vanity metric if it’s wasted on a ‘fairweather’ fan who only tunes in for a high-stakes playoff game and that viewer isn’t necessarily a high-value customer.

Instead, marketers should look at how sports placements influence the customer journey by measuring brand search lift, site visitation in the days post-game, and reach and frequency within high-value audience segments.

This level of tracking, which requires an ad server to truly connect the dots, transforms sports from a broad awareness tool into a measurable engine for growth. Without this framework, you’re essentially flying blind, unable to distinguish between a meaningful connection and expensive noise.

In today’s landscape, the real value isn’t just in being seen. It’s in understanding the exact role that in game and shoulder sports environments played in the journey from viewer to buyer.

Why do you view FAST as the next frontier for incremental reach with sports?
Consumers no longer have the luxury or the desire to juggle half a dozen streaming subscriptions just to follow their favorite teams, but sports leagues still need viewership. When Tubi streamed the Super Bowl last year, it proved that the appetite for high-stakes, live sports on free platforms is massive and mainstream. FAST is critical to reach an audience that is younger, more diverse, and unreachable via traditional cable.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon and soccer’s massive footprint already expanding on FAST, these channels are becoming essential hubs for live sports.

Fans left cable because they felt ‘nickel-and-dimed’ by endless add-ons, and they have no interest in replicating that frustration in the streaming world. For advertisers, FAST is the perfect avenue to connect with an engaged, growing audience at the right time. CPMs are still accessible, budget minimums are low, and the environment hasn’t yet reached the pricing premiums found with traditional linear or streaming environments.

Not every brand has the ability to shell out a $250k minimum to buy into a single cornerstone live sports event on a major subscription streamer. FAST is the high-value alternative for brands that want to be part of the cultural conversation without the pricing premiums.

FanDuel named Ari Avishay as its SVP, Marketing. Avishay will guide FanDuel’s brand, creative and consumer insights strategy while innovating how the company introduces products, features and moments to market through integrated campaigns. Avishay was most recently SVP, Content Marketing for Paramount+, where he oversaw brand, content, social and partner marketing in more than 45 markets worldwide. Before Paramount+, Avishay was VP, Content Marketing at Hulu.

1980: The U.S. men’s ice hockey team clinched gold thanks to a 4-2 victory over Finland. The win came just two days after the famous “Miracle on Ice” game that saw the U.S. defeat the Soviet Union 4-3. It was the U.S.’ second time winning gold in hockey, a feat they wouldn’t accomplish again until 2026.

2002: Canada snapped the aforementioned 50-year streak without a gold medal in men’s hockey, beating the U.S. 5-2 in Salt Lake City. Jerome Iginla and Joe Sakic scored two goals apiece, helping Canada complete the hockey sweep after its women’s team won gold against the U.S. as well.

2013: Danica Patrick became the first female to earn a pole position in NASCAR’s top division ahead of the Daytona 500. Although Jimmie Johnson would take the checkered flag for a second time in his career, Patrick’s eighth-place finish was the highest-ever by a woman at Daytona.