As the competition heats up, fan interest in Women’s College Basketball is greater than ever. The excitement of the season has also caught the attention of brands, and now Disney Advertising has sold out of inventory for the 2022 NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament, which will air across ESPN networks from March 16 – April 3. One of the most highly anticipated events in collegiate athletics attracted 14 sponsors and 22 advertisers across a variety of categories, with Capital One, Invesco and Werner Ladder all returning to be a part of the action.
ESPN has been the exclusive home of the NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament since 1996. A year ago, ESPN expanded its commitment to the sport by making every women’s NCAA tournament game available on a full national basis and by broadcasting select games on ABC for the first time.
“ESPN is dedicated to amplifying women in sports, and we are looking forward to this year’s NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament,” said Sean Hanrahan, SVP, Sports Brand Solutions. “We are excited to see that our sponsors and advertisers have really leaned into our commitment to diversity in athletics and have flocked to these offerings.”
Echoing the commitment to women in sports, Adidas, Buick, Capital One, CarMax, Champion, Cooper Tires, Invesco, Nissan, Orgain, Principal Financial Group, Sirius XM, Target, Unilever and Werner Ladder will serve as sponsors for the 2022 NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament.
No stranger to the NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Tournament, Capital One is returning as the presenting sponsor, with numerous feature integrations throughout the telecast. The brand will bring fans Starting Lineup features, Rewarding Performance features and the Women’s Tournament Challenge as they follow their favorite teams and players. This year, Unilever has joined as the Halftime Entitlement Sponsor.
Target will sponsor alternate camera angles throughout the Women’s Final Four broadcasts as the top four teams advance to Minneapolis, April 1 and 3, to see who will claim this year’s National Championship. To wrap up the tournament and celebrate one lucky team’s accomplishments, Werner Ladder will sponsor the net-cutting ceremony during the postgame show. Additional innovative feature integrations throughout the tournament will be sponsored by Adidas, Buick, CarMax, Champion, Cooper Tires, Invesco, Nissan, Orgain, Principal Financial Group, and Sirius XM.
The 22 advertisers that will appear throughout the tournament will include Adidas, Apple, AT&T, Credit Karma, General Motors, Golden Corral, Indeed, Invesco, Jersey Mike’s, Merk, National Automotive Parts Association, Nissan, Orgain, Quicken Loans, Subway, Taco Bell, Target, T-Mobile, Unilever, Wendy’s, Whirlpool and Workday.
Media Contact:
Kristen Smith | Kristen.T.Smith@Disney.com