It may be cliché, but with the new year does come new opportunities. And that rings true for sports bar and restaurants. Now’s a great time to look at the year ahead and create a game plan for your venue’s business.
Some questions to ask yourself:
- What games and sports content do you have access to now and what do you want to be able to show?
- How will you leverage those events in your marketing to fans and new guests?
- What’s on the horizon that’ll make your job easier and get your brand in front of more customers?
These are all questions that come into play when your venue is creating a marketing plan for 2026. And here’s what we think some of the answers are.
Access to Stream-Only Games
Consumer streaming services are both growing in numbers and also in cost. This, mixed with an uncertain economic future, has more people dropping their monthly streaming subs.
This is a great marketing opportunity for sports bars.
First, your venue will need access to stream-only games. For example, EverPass has been getting exclusive NFL games the past couple of years, meaning if you don’t have EverPass, you can’t watch (or show) the games. This year, that includes the Cowboys vs. Commanders and the Lions vs. Vikings on Christmas Day, and a third TBD match on the 27th.
From there, your bar can market these games to guests and fans via your usual social and email channels. Let them know that these games aren’t easily watchable anywhere else, but your venue has full access.
Going the extra mile to be able to show every game live frames your venue as the sports HQ of the neighborhood.
A Profile on FANZO
Few things suck more for a fan than going to a bar hoping to catch their game, only to find out the place they picked isn’t showing it. Many will turn to Google and other search engines to find spots showing live spots they want to watch. Having a FANZO profile can help you jump to the top of those search rankings.
FANZO is the world’s most-used venue finder for sports fans. It helps fans and guests find the nearest bars and restaurants showing specific games live on TV. In short, FANZO helps sports fans find businesses like yours (plus much, much more).
When someone searches for “Where can I watch the Boston Celtics play?”, your venue is what appears. In fact, FANZO has connected more than 6 million fans to venues to watch games in the past year.
And with their launch into the US, they pose to be a huge boon to operators looking to spread awareness of their business and get more fans into their seats watching games.
The best part? SportsTV Guide subscribers can now claim their profile on FANZO.
Show Women’s Sports
Professional women’s sports are growing in popularity both in the US and Canada.
🏒 Hockey. The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) is partway through its third season, expanding to eight teams this year with the addition of Seattle and Vancouver. The league has been grossly popular, setting a global attendance record for a women’s hockey game with 21,105 fans at the Bell Centre in 2024.
⚾ Baseball. A new professional women’s baseball league is also in the works. The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) is slated to throw its inaugural pitch in 2026, starting off with four teams – Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. All games will be played at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, IL for the first season, meaning that the vast majority of fans are going to want to find local venues to catch the action.
⚽ Soccer. Meanwhile, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is expanding, adding a team to Boston and Denver in 2026, and Atlanta in 2028. All in all, the NWSL is aiming for 18 teams by the end of the decade.
🏀 Basketball. Last but not least, the Women’s National Basketball League (WNBA) announced their intent to also expand to 18 teams by 2030. This is an addition of six teams in six years, including Toronto, Portland, Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. The Golden State Valkyries tipped off in the league in 2025.
That’s a lot of expansion in pro women’s sports. And according to a Nielsen survey, 84% of sports fans want to watch women sports. So, get ready to give guests what they want.
Immersive Fan Experiences
Any place can just toss a game on TV and call it a day. So, what can your venue do that makes your place more fun than the rest? How can you make watching the game at your bar more exciting than staying at home?
One way is building an immersive viewing experience for guests. This goes beyond just having a giant TV and great audio. A few ideas:
🤝 Meet & Greets. Fans love meeting their favorite athletes. While meeting current players during gametime isn’t possible, sports bars and restaurants can host fan favorites from yesteryears. And don’t just go after ex-players, but consider former coaches, announcers, and related local sports celebs.
🙌 Fan Clubs. Hooking up with local fan clubs not only means more predictable income, but you can build a personalized experience with the group’s traditions, tastes, and preferences in mind.
If you show a lot of college sports, contact alumni groups. If you’re aiming for more pro sports, consider meet-up booster clubs. At worst, you can build your own fan club.
🍀 Gamify the Games. Sports fans love to flex their know-how, and operators can tap into that drive with their own games and competitions. Run your own NCAA College Basketball Bracket tournament. Have guests predict the final score of the game, who’ll get the first run, or some other fun stat. Hand out prizes to those who rise to the occasion.
When you’re able to turn a simple game on TV into an entire experience, fans take notice.
Best of Luck
We know how hard y’all work in the industry. We look forward to bringing you more industry insight and ideas into the next year. We hope 2026 is a killer year for your business.
Best of luck and happy holidays.
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