2023 Q1 Sports Preview

12.13.2022 Marco Ochoa3 min

As we kick off the 2023 sports season, we’re treated to the NCAA College Football Championship Game. There’s a lot to love about the state of the College Football Playoff and Championship. For starters, last year’s championship game saw a 19% grown in national viewership compared to 2020’s contest with nearly 30% of all television viewers tuning into the game.

Additionally, news recently broke of the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 total teams beginning in 2024. This will add more opportunities for regional advertisers to put their local message in high quality live sports content. Overall, the CFP continues to be a valuable advertising opportunity for clients advertising on ESPN.

Also, in Q1, we’ll see the conclusion of the NFL Season with a pair of Wildcard games airing with Cox Media. Those include a Wildcard Megacast across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, and a special “family” broadcast of an additional Wildcard game on Nickelodeon. Advertisers targeting a Hispanic audience will also can broadcast their message during the Super Bowl in Spanish on Fox Deportes.

While the season never officially stops, the PGA Tour’s more prominent tournaments will also make their return in early January. Events such as the Sony Open in Hawaii, the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, and THE Players Championship in Florida, headline the Q1 schedule.

Throughout Q1, advertisers also have a great opportunity to share their message during the NBA and NHL regular seasons. The NBA continues to be an amazing place for advertisers looking to target the 18-34 demographic. Fans of these sports will also be tuning into their respective All Star Games with the NHL hosting their game on February 4 (ESPN), and the NBA hosting their festivities from February 17-19 (TNT and ESPN).

One of Q1’s largest draws will undoubtedly be the end of the NCAA Basketball season which culminates with men’s and women’s March Madness Tournaments. CBS and Turner alternate the carriage of the men’s Final Four and Championship Games, and last year was a banner year for TBS, TNT, and TRUtv as the three networks delivered the highest viewership for the contest ever on cable.

Those strong viewership numbers also translated to the Women’s tournament which delivered its highest ratings since 2004 on ESPN.

As always, the world of sports kicks off in a big way for Cox Media. Reach out to your representative today to get your brand into the action!

Ochoa-Marco-scaled
About the Author

Marco Ochoa

Marco Ochoa is a marketing professional with over 10 years of experience across B2B and B2C channels. He is the Customer Experience Manager on Cox Media’s Corporate Marketing Team and has been with the organization for over 7 years. As the customer experience leader for the organization, Marco spends much of his time developing and enhancing programs designed to help Cox Media be the best media partner possible for our clients. Aside from work, Marco spends his time with family, cooking, and tinkering with his ever-growing list of DIY projects.

View All of Marco Ochoa's Blog Posts

Connect with a Marketing Expert

Share Post On Social

Connect With Your Local Marketing Expert

You know your business. We know advertising. Together, we can bring your business to more people. Contact a member of our team today. We’d love to help you grow.