The first-ever Pickleball Slam has taken the sports world by storm, with viewership numbers surpassing those of MLB, NBA, and NHL games in the same week.
This remarkable feat has caught the attention of sports fans and industry professionals as the event garnered impressive ratings among the key television demographics as per Yahoo Sports. The Pickleball Slam showcased the talent of former tennis players Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, and Michael Chang, as they faced off in singles and doubles matches.
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, ESPN's coverage of the event attracted an average of 237,000 adults under 50, tying TNT's Boston Bruins vs. St. Louis Blues NHL match as the fifth highest-rated sporting event on Sunday. The Slam's target audience, adults aged 18-49, accounted for 35% of viewers, an impressive statistic considering only 15% of primetime broadcast TV viewers belong to this demographic.
Moreover, the Pickleball Slam not only dominated in the coveted 18-49 and 25-54 demographics but also attracted a larger total-viewer audience. The event boasted an average of 669,000 viewers and peaked at 796,000 during the concluding doubles match. In comparison, ESPN's subsequent XFL Battlehawks-Roughnecks game only attracted 502,000 viewers, 25% less than the pickleball event.
The nail-biting doubles match between Agassi/Roddick and McEnroe/Chang demonstrated the high level of competition within pickleball, with the former duo narrowly claiming victory and the $1 million cheque.
The success of this inaugural event has led to K-Swiss becoming the official footwear sponsor, with other brands such as Franklin Sports, Athletic Greens, and Subway also lending their support.
Top-spending advertisers like NetJets, State Farm, Sleep Number, Reese's, Amazon Studios, and Capital One took advantage of the event's popularity to reach their target audiences, resulting in 46.8 million adult advertising impressions for ESPN, according to iSpot. The advertising revenue generated during the Pickleball Slam was double that of the previous week's equivalent time slot.
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