MLB Global Marketing, Growth: ‘2024 Was A Strong Year, 2025 Will Be Even Better’
Monday, October 28, 2024 at 02:55PM By Barry Janoff
October 28, 2024: In the midst of Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Yankees commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB revenues would be hotter in 2024 than 2023 — “We’ve had a good year. Our business was strong” — and that 2025 will be even better.
“The product that we are putting out there for our fans is just a better product,” Manfred told MLB Network's MLB Tonight.
People will say he is biased. But the numbers back him up.
MLB revenue was a league record $11.35 billion, up about one billion from 2022, with the trajectory predicted to continue.
In 2024, the 30 clubs in the league had team sponsorship revenues approaching $2 billion with the Dodgers and the Yankees alone combining for an estimated $300 million in sponsorship revenue this year, according to the just-released MLB Marketing Partnerships 2024 report from research and consulting firm SponsorUnited.
“As one of America’s most iconic and enduring sports, Major League Baseball continues to capture the attention of fans and brands alike,” according to SponsorUnited. “With a rich history and a long-standing tradition of strong fan engagement, MLB offers brands an unrivaled platform to connect with millions of dedicated followers throughout the season.
“Our 2024 MLB report shows tremendous growth in sponsorship revenue in MLB, as brands continue to capitalize on the league’s expansive reach and passionate fan base. With nearly $1.9 billion in total team sponsorship revenue, the league remains a prime venue for brands looking to maximize visibility and engagement.”
Great news for brands activating during the World Series: MLB said the Series is averaging 14.55 million viewers through two games, the best start for the Fall Classic since 2017.
The Dodgers Game 2 4-2 victory averaged 13.44 million on Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming, a 65% increase over Game 2 in 2023 and the most-viewed Game 2 since 2018 (Dodgers-Boston Red Sox averaged 13.51M). The audience peaked at 16.35 million during the ninth inning.
The Dodgers 6-3 Game 1 win — decided by Freddie Freeman’s 10th inning grand slam, the first such walk-off in World Series history — averaged 15.2 million viewers on Fox, Fox Deportes, Univision and streaming.
It was the most watched Fall Classic game in five years (Game 7 2019, Washington Nationals deciding 6-2 victory over the Houston Astros, 23 million). The audience peaked at 17.8 million from the 10th inning until the game’s conclusion.
Photo: The SphereFor MLB, the greats news is that this is not just a U.S. thing.
According to the league, Game 1 average viewership was 14.4 million, making it the second most-watched post-season game ever in Japan. Through the first two games, the Fall Classic has an average viewership of 15.15 million in Japan.
“Everybody talks about the markets, and the markets matter. But the fact of the matter is that the quality of the game (in this post-season) you just can’t ask for more,” Manfred told MLB Tonight.
“Playoff games are in the morning in Japan and we’ve had audiences in excess of 13 million people. That’s almost as many people as watch it here in the United States for a population that is a fraction of the size.
“It’s great for the game. It makes that whole area of Asia so much of a market for us.”
According to Manfred, “With the Yankees and Dodgers in the World Series, the biggest thing is that it’s an opportunity for us. I want our audience to be more national. And I think the Yankees and Dodgers give you an opportunity to take a step forward on that.
“We’ve worked really hard to activate in markets other than New York and L.A. We had The Sphere in Las Vegas lit-up like a baseball. We took 113 pieces of outdoor advertising in Tokyo to drive the audience. That’s the opportunity.”
SponsorUnited confirms a “surge in Japanese brand sponsorships driven by Shohei Ohtani’s presence . . . In two years, Japanese sponsor brands have gone from 11 brands across ten stadiums in 2022 to 35 brands across 15 stadiums in 2024.”
Overall, across the 30 clubs, 325 new sponsorship deals were reached across 30 categories.
Of those, key growth was in Construction and Industrial, Automotive and Insurance. The Construction and Industrial channel saw the largest increase of +45% year-over-year from 2023 for a total of $76 million, according to SponsorUnited.
However, the brand getting the biggest boost during the playoffs and World Series might be Germany-based Strauss, which in September signed a multi-platform alliance to become the “official workwear partner of MLB.”
That includes logo placement on batting helmets.
Also on display are jersey ad patches, with Starr Insurance on Yankees sleeves and Guggenheim Baseball Management, the ownership group of the Dodgers, on their jersey sleeves.
“In 2023, 53% of the league had seen jersey patch deals,” via SpsonsorUnited. “That grew to 73% in 2024 with the addition of the Orioles, Cubs, Phillies, Giants, Rangers, Royals, and Pirates. That grew sponsor patch revenues by 59% for 2024 over last season.”
One growth area has been digital dugout ads. “SeatGeek, Toyota, and Delta Air Lines are just some of the brands that have engaged in ad inventory with this placement. Since the league adopted digital advertising around the dugout in 2022 there has been 118% increase in placement. (And) there is still room for growth with 77% of clubs still unsold.”
Concurrently, international growth seems to have no ceiling.
“The (2024) opening games in Korea (which included the Dodgers and San Diego Padres) were phenomenal," said Manfred. "We had 17 million people watch the games.
“Playoff games are in the morning in Japan and (for the World Series) we’ve had audiences in excess of 13 million people. That’s almost as many people as watch it here in the United States for a population that is a fraction of the size. It’s great for the game. It makes that whole area of Asia so much of a market for us.
“Next season we begin with the Dodgers and Ohtani in Japan. Korea was unbelievable. I think Tokyo for the opener will dwarf what we saw in Korea. Again, a great opportunity for the game.’
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