Harness the power of tentpole marketing
Win the moments that matter most.
In today’s fragmented media landscape, attention is the most valuable currency. Tentpole marketing, which aligns your brand with high-impact cultural moments, remains one of the most powerful ways to earn it.
At Bell Media, we help brands win the moments that matter most.
From cultural moments to measurable outcomes, here’s how tentpole marketing — and Bell Media — turn attention into action.
Turning big moments into bigger impact
Tentpole marketing centres brand storytelling around culturally significant, high audience events. These are the moments when attention, relevance, and emotion converge. They aren’t just big buys; they’re strategic anchors that drive measurable results.
Attention in trusted, high-engagement environments
Brands access premium inventory during high-engagement moments from live sports to major entertainment broadcasts, all within a trusted, brand-safe ecosystem. In fact, the top Canadian media brands where consumers are most receptive to advertising include TSN and CTV, recognized for delivering trusted, relevant, and entertaining ad experiences1.
Built-in reach and scale
Tentpoles deliver national or regional reach in condensed timeframes. Paired with Bell Media’s cross-platform footprint across video, digital, audio, out-of-home, and social, amplification compounds for maximum efficiency. On Super Bowl Sunday, TV viewership surged 55% during primetime, while digital engagement across CTV and TSN jumped 156%. Eight in ten English-language viewers tuned into the broadcast, proving the unmatched scale of live event moments2. In Québec, the Super Bowl reached 2.3 million T2+3 viewers.3
Precision meets mass reach
Tentpoles create mass moments, but precision ensures those moments live on. With Bell First Party Data and Bell Audience Manager, advertisers can reach the right audiences before, during, and after the event—extending awareness and driving measurable action. Powered by deterministic data from over 22 million customer connections, our tools make it possible to re-engage high-value viewers long after the broadcast ends.
Unified planning and measurement
Go beyond impressions. Bell Attribution Insights, Outcomes Reports, and Brand Health Insights (YouGov) connect exposure to results, from awareness to web visits, conversions, and sales.
Creative partnerships, talent, and social integration
Our on-air hosts, personalities, and influencers bring campaigns to life across every screen. From branded segments and sponsorships to viral social extensions, we connect brands to the conversations Canadians are already having. And the impact extends far beyond the broadcast, following major cultural or sports events, 42% of users engage with short-form video platforms multiple times a day to relive and share the moment, amplifying brand exposure and keeping your message in motion4.
With Bell Media, brands don’t just join the moment, they shape it.
1- Source: Kantar, Canadian Media Reactions 2025. 2- Source: Numeris, Total Canada (BY 2024–25, P2+); mParticle, 2025. 3- Source: Numeris, Quebec franco, february 9th 2025, T2+. 4- Source: TikTok × MAGNA, “Moments Matter More,” 2024.
See the impact in action
World Cup broadcast integration fuels 48% increase in brand opinion
Learn More
How F1 sponsorship drove a 35% increase in purchase consideration
Learn MoreThe tentpole playbook:
5 tips for winning the moment
Every great tentpole campaign starts with smart planning. Use these five tips to build powerful, results-driven activations that capture attention and drive measurable impact.
Align the moment to your mission.
Choose events that authentically connect with your audience and brand purpose.
Build before and after the spotlight.
Extend engagement with pre-event storytelling, real-time activation, and post-event retargeting to keep momentum alive long after the final whistle.
Activate across every screen.
Integrate video, digital, audio, OOH, and social for full-funnel visibility.
Create content built for the moment.
Make your brand part of the cultural conversation for stronger recall and lift.
Measure what truly matters.
Use Bell Media’s Outcomes Reports and Bell Attribution Insights to connect exposure to real-world results.
Pro Tip: The best tentpole campaigns start early. Align creative, audience, and media strategy 4–6 months ahead to secure premium placements and maximize your brand’s moment.
Plan around Canada’s biggest moments
Tentpoles don’t all happen in one season; their power lies in timing and consistency. With Bell Media’s lineup of high impact live and cultural programming, brands can plan around the moments Canadians care about most.
IIHF World Junior Championship
December 26, 2025 to January 5, 2026
Hockey’s most exciting tournament returns for its 50th edition, hosted in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The World Juniors continue to capture the hearts of Canadians, with 8.8 million fans engaging with the 2025 tournament and 11.2 million connecting with Canada’s national teams over the past year — proving that passion for the maple leaf knows no borders.
Source: SponsorPulse – Total Canada, A13-64 Engagement, Data collected between: July 2018 and September 2025
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NFL Superbowl LX
February 8, 2026
The 2024–25 NFL season was the most-consumed ever on Bell Media, with viewership up +23% vs. five years ago.
At the heart of it, Super Bowl LIX aired across TSN, CTV, and RDS, drawing 8.5 million viewers and reaching 16.6 million Canadians—making it the most-watched single event broadcast of the year.
Don’t miss your chance to align your brand with one of the biggest event of the year.
Source: Numeris, Total Canada
98th Academy Awards
March 15, 2026
Experience the glamour, excitement, and cultural impact of the Oscars—the most-watched entertainment broadcast of the year. The 2025 broadcast drew 3.4 million viewers on CTV, reaching 7.6 million Canadians, and proving its continued power to captivate audiences nationwide. In Québec, the Oscars generated a cumulative reach of 868,000 P2+ viewers
Source: Numeris, Total Canada & Numeris Infosys, Pqfranco, march 2nd 2025
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2026 Masters Tournament
April 9 to April 12, 2026
The Masters Tournament is one of golf’s four major championships, held each April at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, where the world’s top golfers compete for the prestigious green jacket.
Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada
May 22-24, 2026
The Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canadacontinues to accelerate in popularity, with over 9 million Canadians aged 18+ following the event — a 31% national engagement rate and an impressive 36% in Quebec. That’s an increase of more than 2 million fans year over year, underscoring the sport’s surging appeal across the country.
In 2025, the Grand Prix welcomed 352,000 spectators, ranking among the Top 25 F1 attendances of all time. This record-breaking performance highlights the event’s growing prestige and global influence, solidifying its position as one of the most anticipated sporting events in Canada.
Source: Octane; https://f1destinations.com/the-biggest-f1-grand-prix-attendances/
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2026 FIFA World CupTM
June 11 to July 19, 2026
The FIFA World Cup 26™ is a global phenomenon, uniting millions of fans across the world. As the most-watched sporting event on the planet, it transcends borders and cultures, offering an unmatched opportunity for brands to engage with a passionate audience.
For the first time, Canada, along with the U.S. and Mexico, is hosting the world’s biggest single-sport event. As the largest tournament in history, FIFA World Cup 26™ will feature 48 teams, 104 matches, and extended knockout rounds, bringing even more excitement and opportunities for brands to make an impact.
Hockey on RDS
RDS is the destination for Canada’s most passionate hockey audience. The A18–34 viewership for Montréal Canadiens games has surged +28% vs. 2023-24 and an impressive +170% since 2021-22, contributing to a three-year decline in average viewer age — now at just 48 for the 2024-25 season.
With multiplatform sponsorships, custom segments, and deep integration across TV, digital, radio, and OOH, your brand can embed in the hockey moment when French-Canadian fans are fully engaged.
Source: Numeris, Quebec Franco, AMA (A25-54 and A18-34) and average age (T2+), 2024-25 to date (October 10, 2024 to March 6, 2025) vs. regular seasons 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-2024.
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CLF Grey Cup
November 15, 2026
Rooted in Canadian heritage, the CFL continues to unite passionate fans from coast to coast. As one of the country’s biggest single-day sporting and entertainment events, the Grey Cup delivers unforgettable moments—and unmatched audience engagement.
The 2024 Grey Cup was the most-watched since 2019, attracting 3.4 million viewers, and reaching 9.2 million Canadians on TSN and CTV. With the CFL Playoffs averaging over 1 million viewers per game—up +31% vs. 2023—momentum has never been stronger.
In Québec, more than 900,000 viewers tuned in to the 2024 Grey Cup game.
Bell Media’s exclusive coverage on TSN, CTV and RDS offers brands a powerful platform to connect with millions of Canadians during a true cultural event.
Source: Numeris, Total Canada & Numeris, Québec franco, 17 novembre 2024, portée T2+.
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Women in Sports
Gain brand exposure through an unmatched spectrum of women’s sports; our coverage spans over 50 leagues and 14 sports, offering over 6,500 hours of compelling live action. From the intensity of hockey to the precision of golf and the dynamism of basketball, we connect with audiences in every corner of the sports world.
TSN and RDS stands at the forefront of female viewership in sports broadcasting, consistently reaching over 4.4 million females weekly. Women’s sports have seen a growing base, driven not only by women, but by all Canadians. Aligning with us means your brand connects with an engaged and passionate audience, ready to embrace and support your message.
Source: Numeris, Total Canada, BY 2024-2025 BYTD (8/26/24- 11/05/25), RDS+/TSN+/TSN2. P2+
Learn MoreWith Bell Media’s premium tentpole calendar, advertisers can plan 12 months of high-impact storytelling, uniting Canadians across the moments that define culture.
Let’s map out your 2026 campaign calendar together.
Tentpoles are the heartbeat of brand storytelling, when attention peaks and emotion drives action.
With Bell Media, brands don’t just buy into these moments; they build within them.
From data-driven insights to cross-platform creative and real-time measurement, we help advertisers transform cultural relevance into measurable growth.
If you’re ready to anchor your brand in Canada’s biggest moments, you don’t just need media — you need a partner who treats tentpoles as strategic canvases.
That partner is Bell Media.
