Women’s March Madness sells out of advertising with projected $25M in sales

The GIST: As of this week, women’s March Madness ads are effectively sold out. It’s estimated that Disney — the network that owns the women’s tournament — could generate more than $25M in ad sales revenue this year, up from the estimated $19.4M ESPN and ABC made during last year’s tourney. It’s a mad world.

Converting first-time advertisers: It’s no surprise that longtime ESPN women’s sports sponsor Capital One continues to support the tournament, but it is surprising how many companies followed the trend. Disney’s sales team reportedly converted 42 first-time advertisers for the tourney, including Google, Crown Imports, Adidas, Home Depot, and Honda.

NIL impact: The regular-season NIL trend has infiltrated the tournament as well, providing novel pathways to getting sponsors in front of fans. Keurig, NerdWallet, and Goldman Sachs are a few of the companies tapping players to share products or boost brand awareness.

• NerdWallet’s recent deal with USC star Juju Watkins is being dubbed “the smartest NIL deal ever.” The financial company asked Watkins to make a smart money decision, so she chose to create a budget for NIL earnings and share her future goals for spending these funds. Money, please.

Zooming out: The ad sales reflect popular opinion in college basketball: The women’s game is more compelling, even to advertisers. "No offense to men at all, but I think brands are gearing towards women a little bit more," OpenSponsorship account manager Staley Gibson told Business Insider. "They're creating the content that our brands love and are looking for."