NFL advertising delivered substantially stronger consumer engagement than average primetime television during the 2025–26 season, according to EDO’s fourth annual NFL TV Outcomes Report. The study analyzed national television advertising across the season, measuring consumer actions such as branded searches and website visits to evaluate advertising impact.
EDO reports that the average regular-season NFL advertisement generated the equivalent impact of 73 primetime broadcast and cable spots, a 15% increase from the 2024–25 season. Super Bowl advertising produced an even larger differential, with the average Super Bowl spot matching the impact of 1,455 primetime advertisements.
The findings reinforce a shift in TV advertising measurement from audience delivery alone toward behavioral outcomes. EDO describes searches and site visits as consumer behaviors that can provide signals of advertising-driven engagement and potential downstream business impact.
Category-level performance also varied considerably. Pharmaceutical advertisers were prominent among the strongest regular-season performers, with EDO reporting that the category was 95% more effective during regular-season NFL games than during primetime broadcast and cable television. Nemluvio, a biologic brand, generated 1,683% stronger engagement than the average NFL advertiser, according to the report.
Technology and AI advertising also gained traction. EDO identified Microsoft’s Copilot-focused creative as the strongest-performing ad among Internet & Telecom companies, generating 667% more engagement than the average regular-season NFL advertisement.
For agencies and advertisers, the report provides another argument for evaluating premium live sports inventory through outcomes rather than reach and frequency alone. It also gives media buyers a framework for comparing creative, category and placement performance against defined benchmarks.
The measurement scope has expanded beyond conventional commercials. EDO used its Sponsored Ad Outcomes solution for the first time to assess 1,443 NFL sponsorships spanning 139 brands and 79 games across broadcast and streaming platforms.
Sponsorship format mattered. Halftime Studio Show Segments were 198% more effective than the average NFL sponsorship unit, while Sponsor Billboards generated 28% above-average engagement. Individual integrations also produced different results: Toyota’s sponsored advertising generated 157% stronger engagement than the typical sponsorship unit, while Burger King’s Sponsor Billboard Card was 104% above average.
Market Landscape
The NFL findings arrive as advertisers increasingly demand measurable business outcomes from television and video investments. IAB reported that business outcomes such as sales, site visits and leads had become the most important KPIs for buyers in its 2024 digital video advertising research, while measurement challenges remained widespread across video and CTV.
That shift creates an opening for outcome-based TV measurement providers. As linear television, streaming and connected TV increasingly converge, advertisers need measurement approaches capable of comparing environments that use different delivery and audience signals. IAB has similarly emphasized the need for greater consistency and accountability across digital video measurement.
Strategic Outlook
The report suggests that premium sports advertising is increasingly being evaluated as a performance media environment rather than simply a high-reach branding channel.
For publishers, broadcasters and streaming platforms, outcome measurement can help demonstrate the commercial value of premium inventory. For agencies, granular creative and sponsorship benchmarks can inform media planning and optimization.
The larger opportunity is standardization. As TV buying becomes more data-driven and increasingly programmatic, comparable outcome metrics could help advertisers evaluate inventory across linear and streaming environments. At the same time, buyers will need to understand methodology and distinguish engagement signals from direct sales attribution.
Top Insights
- EDO reports a 73x primetime-equivalent impact for the average NFL regular-season ad.
- NFL regular-season ad impact increased 15% year over year.
- The average Super Bowl spot matched the impact of 1,455 primetime ads.
- Pharma and AI-related advertising were among notable category and creative performers.
- EDO measured 1,443 NFL sponsorships using its Sponsored Ad Outcomes solution.
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