Observed Signal · Dec 31, 2025 · Industry Report · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Brands Boost Athlete Pay; Celebrity Ad Spend Tops $1B
Brand spending on celebrity ad talent exceeded $1 billion in 2025, marking a substantial rise in budgets concentrated on recognizable talent, according to a report from advertising platform XR and coverage cited by Adweek. The trend is strongest among athletes: guaranteed pay for NBA stars has increased ~200% since 2019 and NFL player payments rose ~145%. Endorsements for sports figures grew about 106% to nearly $250 million, while investments in women’s sports have expanded dramatically (a >300x increase since 2019) with payments to women’s basketball players up 176% year-over-year. Advertisers are making fewer shoots than in 2019 but placing larger bets per project, and production is decentralizing from California toward states like Texas, Florida and Virginia (collective volume rise of nearly 30%). XR’s CEO John Batter describes the shift as a “talent-first era.”
Shifts advertiser budgets toward celebrity/athlete talent alter media allocation, creative production, and measurement priorities—important for agencies, publishers, and ad tech vendors but not a platform-level policy or technical change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Brand spending on celebrity ad talent topped $1 billion in 2025.
- Overall celebrity/athlete spending rose 47% versus 2019.
- Guaranteed payments for NBA stars rose ~200% since 2019; NFL player payments climbed ~145% since 2019.
- Endorsements for sports figures increased ~106% to nearly $250 million.
- Brand investment in women’s sports grew more than 300-fold since 2019; payments to women's basketball players rose 176% year-over-year.
- Number of commercial shoots remains below 2019 levels while spend per project increased; production volume grew nearly 30% in Texas, Florida and Virginia combined.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Women’s Sports Ads: ROI Soars, Investment Grows!
WPP Media published a "Women’s Sports Playbook" (in partnership with EDO, Adverteyes and VideoAmp) showing rising advertiser returns from investment in women’s sports. The report found a 79% year-over-year increase in ad impressions for women’s sports, 20% higher ad engagement versus non-sports broadcast and cable, and that Ally Financial’s ads delivered 85% higher engagement during women’s sports compared with broadcast/cable averages outside live sports. Investment in women’s sports is estimated to be up nearly 70% year over year, with total spend around $127 million and ad airings rising nearly 30% to almost 30,000. The report also notes audiences overindex for households with incomes of $200,000+, and that athlete-led, culturally aligned creative drives stronger emotional engagement, attention and brand recall.
Athletes Push for Deeper, Equity-Based Brand Deals
Athletes are increasingly treating their media presence and personal IP like founder-owned businesses, pushing brands for longer-term, more participatory deals that can include campaign strategy input, product design influence, veto rights and even equity stakes. The NBPA is advocating for deeper relationships and for brands to negotiate directly with players, while brands and agencies balance scalable creator programs with the desire of athletes for authentic, long-lasting partnerships. Examples cited include Adidas’s World Cup campaign and Roger Federer’s 2019 equity deal with On Running; companies such as Unilever and L’Oréal continue to run large, transactional creator armies that can clash with athletes’ desire for longevity and ownership.
Super Bowl LX Ads Featured Record 102 Celebrities
Ad-tech firm XR reports a record 102 celebrities appeared in Super Bowl LX commercials, reflecting a trend toward star-studded ensemble casting as a form of risk management for brands paying premium rates. With 30-second spots costing up to $8 million, advertisers are adding multiple famous faces to increase instant recognition. Musicians appeared 60% more often than in typical year-round ads, valued for broad, cross-demographic recognition. XR's CMO Graham McKenna said brands are deliberate about using talent to reach different fan segments simultaneously. The game also saw a notable presence of AI companies (e.g., Anthropic, AI.com) with mixed results, and overall ads were reportedly 9% less likely to be funny than in 2025 as brands leaned on nostalgia.
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