No surprise here: The female football fan base is substantial. In fact, it’s held steady at about 46%-47% of total viewership from Super Bowl XLVII in 2014 to Super Bowl LII in 2018.
Women contribute greatly to growing segments across the adult beverage landscape. They control $4.3 trillion (73%) of U.S. spending, and they’re the sole breadwinners in 40% of U.S. households with children.
Marketers in the adult beverage industry are shifting from a once male-dominated marketing mindset to one with a more balanced, female focus—and with good reason.
While the on-premise (bar, restaurant) environment struggles on Super Bowl Sunday, breakfast and brunch proved popular for kicking off the day last year, as on-premise sales  increased by 24% and 12%, respectively. One potential driver? Women are 32% more likely to drink cocktails on-premise than men, as they’re driven by their awareness of low-alcohol, brunch and wine cocktail trends.
Wine reigns supreme with women, remaining the most popular alcohol for off-premise sales among women. Hard seltzer, the relatively new, low-calorie flavored malt beverage (FMB) entrant, is also increasingly relevant during the big game, as Super Bowl sales have more than tripled since 2016, rising from 0.3% to 1.3% in 2018.
The base of female football fans, defined as women 21+ who watched (broadcast or cable) regular season NFL or the Super Bowl, have upped the ante for adult beverage consumption across the board. With regard to wine, 11% of female football fans drink Pinot Grigio, compared with 7.8% of the broader over-21 female population. But let’s not forget about beer, which is the top drink of choice for female football fans, as 38% choose the tried-and-true beverage. While the juicy/hazy craze has gotten plenty of attention, women are driving this more than men, as 63% enjoy it as a style, versus 60% of men.
Female or male, Super Bowl viewers continue to gravitate to the internet to make their alcohol purchases. Online wine sales jumped 46% from $716,792 on Super Bowl Sunday in 2017 to $1,047,993 on Super Bowl Sunday last year.