Discover Boating, NBC Sports Partnership Puts Recreational Boating on a National Stage

American Century Championship delivers its best weekend viewership since 2006 and record attendance of 86,000 spectators

Discover Boating’s fourth consecutive partnership with NBC Sports at the American Century Championship (ACC) delivered significant exposure for the boating lifestyle, as the nationally televised celebrity golf tournament achieved its strongest weekend viewership in two decades and set a new attendance record.

Sunday’s coverage averaged 1.5 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, up 49% from last year and the event’s largest final-round audience since 2004. Combined Saturday and Sunday coverage averaged 1.3 million viewers, marking the ACC’s best weekend viewership since 2006 and a 44% year-over-year increase. A record 86,038 spectators also attended the tournament.

Held July 8-12 in Lake Tahoe, the championship featured 90 prominent athletes and entertainers competing at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Its combination of celebrity influence, national media coverage and a highly visual waterfront setting gives Discover Boating a distinctive opportunity to place boating within an aspirational outdoor lifestyle experience.

The partnership reflects Discover Boating’s broader strategy to reach and inspire prospective boaters through relevant cultural and lifestyle moments. By showing up where highly engaged audiences are already gathering, Discover Boating increases awareness of the boating lifestyle, sparks inspiration and encourages more people to consider getting on the water, which ultimately helps expand the pipeline of potential future customers for the industry.

Discover Boating capitalized on the opportunity with one of its largest onsite activations to date. The program combined national exposure across NBC, Peacock and Golf Channel with interactive fan destinations, branded course elements, social media storytelling, high-profile brand ambassadors and on-water content.

The Discover Boating Boat Cam also returned during live tournament coverage, bringing Lake Tahoe’s boating lifestyle directly into the broadcast. Onsite, Discover Boating team members engaged with fans and tournament participants, while Discover Boating ambassador and former MLB star, Gary Sheffield, as well as Discover Boating’s content creator and NFL sideline report, Lauren Screeden, helped extend the brand’s visibility and influence.

The Takeaway

The ACC partnership went beyond logo placement or traditional event sponsorship. Through broadcast integration, celebrity participation, digital content and direct consumer engagement, Discover Boating made the boating lifestyle visible, relevant and accessible across multiple touchpoints.

For NMMA members and industry stakeholders, activations like the ACC support a critical shared objective: attracting more people to recreational boating. By generating awareness and interest at the top of the consumer funnel, Discover Boating helps build a larger pool of prospective boaters whom manufacturers, dealers and other industry businesses can engage and convert over time, supporting the industry’s long-term growth.