The Olympics have a huge pull, but is sponsorship effective?

Olympics Fandom and Viewership

Even though the Olympics occur every other year, they have tremendous pull. 

The Olympics have a huge pull power, with almost half of the US population watching the games on TV (46%), second only to the NFL (54%) based on Elevent’s Perspective US Study . However, only a small percentage of the population ever attends the Olympics in person (3%). 

In the United States, there is a lot of interest in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. 60% of respondents self-identified as fans, with winter and summer sports having nearly the same percentage of fans in the population. This is slightly lower than the NFL (69%), but higher than the MLB, the NCAA, and the NBA! 

Impact on Sponsor Performance 

Purchase intent is limited however, with about a quarter of fans often buying from Olympic sponsors (VS 16% for non-fans). This is likely due to the cyclical nature of the event, as many Olympic fans mention that they “sometimes buy” from sponsors. 

Compared to other professional sports fans’, willingness to engage with sponsors (WTE) , a good proxy of the partnership’s performance is the lowest for the Olympics (25% of fans strongly open to sponsors). The sports with the highest WTE score are women’s hockey fans (53% strongly open to sponsors) and pro cycling fans (51%). Again, most Olympics happen in other markets, and local activations are scarce, which can explain these results.

While these numbers may not indicate great sponsorship performance, the Games still present a tremendous opportunity and platform for global brands to reach a global audience during the two-week period. 

Partnerships with local Olympic committee sponsors may also offer a great option; at a much lower investment, they can activate locally with messages supporting the country. Additionally, local athletes can humanize brands, which resonates with the target audience. The relative accessibility of partnerships with amateur athletes allows local sponsors to share their stories and invest in a stable of successful athletes, providing increased visibility and a higher return. 

While top Olympic partners may be out of reach for most companies, the Olympic Games and movement offer numerous opportunities for exposure, even for smaller organizations. With intense focus and interest in the Games every two years, brands can tell compelling stories around the values of sports and the perseverance of athletes. When done right, Games sponsorship can be highly effective.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will debut on February 6, 2026. 

Interested in knowing how your brand is perceived and considered by a targeted audience in our annual Perspective study? Let’s discuss.

Source and Methodology

In its most recent survey, Elevent conducted an online survey of adult Americans (18 years of age and over) with 5,010 surveys. The comprehensive survey included questions on a broad range of topics including sports sponsorship impact, consumer willingness to engage with sports sponsors, a sport-by-sport comparison of consumer perspectives, and more. The results were weighted using Census Bureau data based on age, gender, race, and region of residence of respondents with a margin of error of ±2% (if the sample were based on probability, with a confidence level of 95%).