The AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin has become one of the most effective sponsorship platforms in sports—and its 2025 performance made that clearer than ever. From immersive on-site brand integrations to record-setting national viewership, the event delivered a rare combination brands are chasing: scale, loyalty, and sustained engagement.

This year’s championship was shaped by a lineup of deeply embedded partners, including Royal Canin, GEICO, Shaw Floors, Zesty Paws, Ororo Heated Apparel, Synovetin, AKC Pet Insurance, and Eukanuba. Each sponsor played an active role in creating a dog-first experience across the championship grounds in Orlando—leveraging product education, sampling, and custom activations designed specifically for breeders, handlers, and fans. Rather than surface-level signage, these integrations felt native to the community, reinforcing trust with one of the most passionate and purpose-driven audiences in sports.

That sponsor-driven experience scaled seamlessly to a national audience. Airing Sunday, December 28 from 12–6 PM on ABC and ESPN2, the championship averaged 1.36 million total viewers, peaking at 1.64 million by the end of the telecast—the highest delivery since the ESPN/ABC partnership began. Between noon and 6 PM, only the NFL outperformed the AKC, with the telecast surpassing major cable news networks like Fox News.

What truly separates the event, however, is audience behavior and engagement. The broadcast maintained 1M+ viewers from start to finish, demonstrating near-total retention even as marquee NFL matchups kicked off elsewhere. That “stickiness” translated into tangible value for sponsors, as branded moments and integrations were consistently delivered to the same highly engaged audience throughout the six-hour window.

The results reflect sustained momentum. The 2025 airing outperformed the past five years of broadcasts by high-single to double-digit margins, while delivering double-digit growth across all key demos compared to the prior two years. At a time when television is experiencing double-digit macro declines, the AKC National Championship achieved record audience share, pushing its viewership footprint to an all-time high.

Behind the scenes, the scale of the event reinforces why sponsors continue to invest. More than 9,000 dogs, thousands of breeders and handlers, and 30,000 in-person attendees gathered in Orlando for a week-long celebration of excellence, all in support of the American Kennel Club’s mission to advance canine health, responsible ownership, and the future of the sport.

As a special highlights version of the event airs February 8 on at 8:00PM on ESPN, the AKC National Championship stands as a blueprint for how sponsorship-led experiences—when built authentically and amplified through strong media distribution—can deliver elite performance for both brands and rights holders alike.

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