Brands Bet Big on Star Power as Athlete Pay in Ads Skyrockets

Brand spending on celebrity ad talent topped $1 billion in 2025, a 47% surge since 2019, according to a new report from advertising platform XR as first reported by Adweek. The findings point to a "talent-first era," a clear strategy where advertisers are consolidating budgets around famous faces to cut through the media noise.

• The new MVPs: The talent gold rush is most apparent with athletes. Guarantees for NBA stars have surged 200% since 2019, while payments to NFL players have climbed 145%. Overall, endorsements for sports figures have skyrocketed 106% to nearly $250 million.

• A league of their own: The boom is particularly explosive in women’s sports, where brand investment has grown more than 300-fold since 2019. In the last year alone, payments to women's basketball players shot up 176%, fueled by rising viewership and a roster of new stars.

• A talent-first era: "Advertising is entering a talent-first era," said John Batter, CEO of XR. "Spending on athletes, celebrities and creators isn't just rebounding, it's surpassing all pre-pandemic norms with no signs of slowing. Brands are concentrating budgets around recognizable talent that can break through."

• Fewer, bigger bets: The investment surge is happening even as the number of commercial shoots remains below 2019 levels, signaling a clear strategy toward higher-impact spending on fewer projects. The geography of advertising is also decentralizing, with production moving from California to states like Texas, Florida, and Virginia, which saw a collective increase of nearly 30% in volume.

The data reveals more than a simple spending spree; it shows a fundamental realignment in advertising economics. As audiences fragment across countless platforms, brands are betting that recognizable, high-impact talent is the safest and most effective way to capture attention.