The Magic of the Cup: NBA In-Season Tourney a Win for Brands & Broadcasters

The victorious New York Knicks might not be hanging a banner to commemorate their 2025 NBA Cup championship, but brands that advertised during the NBA’s in-season tournament this past year have plenty to celebrate.

According to EDO’s TV outcomes data, ads that aired on Amazon’s Prime Video during the knockout rounds of 2025 NBA Cup were 43% more effective than the average ad on primetime broadcast cable — and 13% more effective than the average competitive ad during the 2025-26 NBA regular season. 

EDO’s TV outcomes measure an ad’s ability to generate consumer engagement behaviors, like brand searches and website visits, that are proven predictors of future sales. We used this methodology to measure the performance of NBA Cup ads on Prime Video, which carried some of the Cup’s group stage games and served as the exclusive U.S. broadcast home of the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals.

Read on to see what else we learned from the data.

The Cup final was a big win for Amazon and its brand partners — especially Google Pixel, Adidas, and Ray-Ban

While the tournament produced strong results for advertisers throughout, the NBA Cup final on Prime Video was the biggest win for Amazon and its brand partners. 

Those that advertised during the Knicks’ triumph over the San Antonio Spurs were twice as effective as the average advertiser on broadcast or cable TV. Due to the game’s large audience and strong engagement, a brand would need to buy 12 ads during the average primetime broadcast or cable program to generate the same total impact as a single ad during the 2025 NBA Cup final.

Standout advertisers during the final include Google Pixel, Adidas, and Ray-Ban. 

• Google Pixel ran 2 ads that were 33% more effective than the brand’s primetime broadcast and cable average, employing a pair of contextually relevant creatives featuring Golden State Warriors stars Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry.
• Ray-Ban’s 2 ads during the final promoted its Meta glasses, with spots featuring Doja Cat and Teyana Taylor. These ads were 103% more effective than the brand’s average primetime ad on broadcast or cable TV.
• Adidas tapped Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards and his best friend Nick Maddox for a humorous ad featuring an in-car singalong. In 2 airings, the spot was 162% more effective than the brand’s average primetime broadcast and cable ad.

Get the NBA ad intel you need — all season long

The NBA Cup is in the rear-view mirror, but All-Star Weekend is just around the corner. As brands plan out their media buying and creative strategies for the All-Star Game, the second half of the regular season, and the all-important playoffs, they’ll need fast, reliable, TV outcomes data to chart their course.

Keep up with the latest live sports intel by signing up for our newsletter, or check out our Basketball TV Outcomes Report for a complete overview of last season’s NBA, WNBA, and college basketball ad performance.