From the Australian Open to the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, Australians have spent the first months of 2026 immersed in live sport.
But while athletes dominated the action on the field, new research from The Trade Desk shows brands also had reason to pay attention.
More than half of Australians, 53%, say they are more likely to notice a brand when it advertises around their favourite team, athlete or league, while 50% say brands advertising in sport feels more credible.
The data points to sport’s enduring value as a shared cultural moment.
Ashton De Santis Image: The Trade Desk
As Ashton De Santis, senior director of Inventory Development at The Trade Desk, said, broadcasters’ continued pursuit of sports rights reflects that live sport remains “the last true bastion” of live viewing.
Sport still cuts through as a weekly habit
The research shows live sport remains deeply embedded in Australians’ everyday media routines rather than functioning as an occasional event-only behaviour.
Overall, 62% of Australians watch or follow sport daily or weekly.
Men remain the most engaged cohort, with 80% watching or following sport regularly, while younger audiences are also highly engaged, including 65% of Gen Z and 63% of Millennials.
Nearly half of Australians, 48%, watch between one and five hours of live sport each week, underlining the consistency of that engagement.
“That shared moment still exists, but it has shifted from linear TV to digital screens,” De Santis said.
That matters for brands because sport continues to deliver something increasingly rare in the media market: a live, real-time audience that actively chooses to show up.
The shared moment has moved screens
The Trade Desk’s data suggests the shift away from traditional television is now well underway.
Outside of broadcast TV, 35% of Australians are consuming live sport via Connected TV and streaming platforms.
More notably, 37% of Australians say they subscribed to a streaming service specifically to watch live sport and then kept that subscription after the season ended.
“Sport may be the trigger for subscription, but audiences often stay because of the broader content ecosystem around it,” De Santis said.
“Viewers sign up for a match, tournament or season, then remain engaged through supporting content and continue watching through CTV and streaming environments.”
That indicates streaming is no longer just a temporary access point for a tournament, match or season, but is influencing longer-term viewing habits.
Advertising in sport still drives trust and action
For marketers, the value of sport is not just reach. It is also about how advertising performs in that environment.
The research states 43% of Australians say they are more likely to look for additional information about a brand or product they have seen advertised during sporting events.
Combined with the 53% who say sport makes brands more noticeable, the numbers suggest live sport remains effective at driving both awareness and follow-up behaviour.
“The benefits of digital are now clear, whether that is precision targeting, frequency control or independent measurement,” De Santis said.
The credibility factor is equally significant. Half of Australians say brands that advertise in sport feel more credible, reinforcing sport’s position as a context that can elevate perception, not just impressions.
Planning habits are lagging behind audience habits
The bigger challenge for advertisers is not whether sport works, but whether media strategy has kept pace with audience behaviour.
“The disconnect comes from the fact that consumption has shifted faster than planning and buying behaviour,” De Santis said.
“Traditional planning habits remain strong, even though there is incremental reach available through digital environments, particularly among younger audiences who are no longer watching through linear channels in the same way.”
That gap becomes harder to ignore as audiences continue to move across streaming, mobile, and premium digital environments, while many campaigns still lean on linear television first.
Top Image: PwC