We finally know which teams are officially headed to Super Bowl LX, but before it’s time to dig into a game day–worthy spread of hot wings and seven-layer dip–let’s take a closer look at how consumers plan to watch the Big Game this year.
Epsilon’s sports marketing research looked at how consumers across generations are watching sports today, and we especially wanted to understand how they plan to engage with major sporting events like the Super Bowl.
We asked consumers how they’re watching sports—think streaming versus cable and TV versus smartphones—and asked them to break down their sports viewership in terms of frequency, by sport and the impact of advertisements.
Our research aimed to paint a picture of what the average Super Bowl viewer looks like today to help marketers make more strategic ad-spending decisions (and learn a little more about their audience along the way).
Let’s break down some of our top insights from the research to get started.
Football is the most popular sport across generations, with 67% of U.S. consumers tuning in, and the Super Bowl is the most popular sporting event by a landslide.
Younger generations are especially interested in watching the Big Game, with 76% of Gen Z planning on watching. Gen Z especially likes watching sports as a social event with friends and family and actively make time to watch games.
When it comes to where they're watching, consumers can access the Super Bowl via a number of streaming and traditional TV platforms, including NBC, SlingTV, Peacock and NFL+.
For advertisers, it's crucial that your advertising strategy reaches consumers no matter where they're watching and that it tells a cohesive story whether consumers view your ad on TV, streaming or social channels.
We wouldn’t be a marketing company if we didn’t talk about the commercials. When it comes to commercials, 41% of sports viewers always or often watch them (put that in your pitch deck).
More than 30% of Gen Z, millennials and Gen X find commercials fun to watch, and only 21% across generations find them intrusive or annoying (phew!).
And it’s not just for entertainment: Our research found that 25% of sports viewers go on to look for more information about a product or brand after watching a commercial, and 16% end up making a purchase, which is especially true for younger generations.
So, a Super Bowl commercial isn’t just a tool for brand awareness. With the right mix of messaging and value, it can help you discover more prospects, move them forward in the customer journey and hopefully increase conversions.
Compared to a typical sporting event, the Big Game is special when it comes to viewership. People don’t just have it on in the background or watch it for a little bit—they’re way more likely to watch most or all of the Super Bowl.
And what device are they watching it on? Similar to the results in our annual media consumption report, we found that among sports viewers, 92% watch on the big screen, but almost half (45%) watch on their smartphones. Gen Z and millennials are more likely than the older generations to use devices other than a TV to watch sports.
Attending sports events in-person is a popular choice for sports enthusiasts and casual fans alike, whether it’s in their city or state or across the country, especially for younger generations.
We asked consumers about their interest in attending major sporting events this year, including:
Unsurprisingly, the Super Bowl was consumers’ number one pick in terms of interest and likelihood of going. Fifteen percent across generations say they’re considering attending the event, and the number jumps to 33% of Gen Z and one in five millennials.
The second and third top events consumers want to see in-person include the FIFA World Cup and March Madness, and in general, there's a clear appetite for attending in-person sporting events. Our research found that consumers who go to sporting events spend up to $923 per year on attending in-person games.
Targeting advertising spending during major sporting events can be a great way to engage with your audience, but it only works if you understand your customers and prospects on a deeper level.
Find out how Epsilon Data can help by filling in the gaps in your customer understanding and activating relevant pre-built and custom audiences in the channels where your customers are.
This research highlights data from a 12-minute online consumer survey ran by Epsilon’s Shopper’s Voice. It was in field from January 5 to January 8 of 2026 and included consumers from the ages of 18 to 77. The sample was weighted by age and gender to align with the U.S. census distribution.
