'Fastest Six Weeks in Sports' Docuseries Takeaways:
- DoorDash and Uncrustables are financing "Fastest Six Weeks in Sports" and influencing its creative direction.
- Despite 18.9 million viewers for the 2024 NCAA women’s final, only 6% of Fortune 500 brands support women’s sports.
- The series streams on Roku, YouTube, and social media, reaching young and engaged women’s sports fans.
Most brands are still sitting on the sidelines while millions are tuning in to watch women’s sports.
DoorDash and Uncrustables are taking a different approach by helping produce the story, not just sponsoring it.
They are presenting partners of Fastest Six Weeks in Sports, a new documentary covering the stretch between the NCAA Women’s Tournament and the start of the WNBA season.
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The brands contribute funding and play a deeper role in content creation.
The series follows athletes, including Georgia Amoore and Sania Feagi, through their draft experiences, while tracking veteran Kelsey Plum during a pivotal professional transition.
Religion of Sports creative director Lauren Fisher told DesignRush the docuseries focuses on a crucial period in women’s basketball that’s long gone underrepresented.
“This series is about capturing a rarely documented stretch of time that’s unmatched in any other professional sport — a six-week, pressure-packed transition that defines careers and builds fanbases.”
“By taking audiences inside this overlooked window, we’re filling a gap in coverage and helping to shift how women’s sports are seen, supported, and followed.
We’re meeting audiences where they already are to make these stories easily accessible, because this content deserves to be seen widely.”
It is the first project under Next Is Now, a collaborative anthology from Religion of Sports, Ensemble, and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment.
Laura Correnti, CEO of Deep Blue, sees the project as a chance for sponsors to be part of the narrative rather than remain on the sidelines.
“The Fastest Six Weeks in Sports takes us inside one of the most intense periods of an elite female basketball player’s life that’s never been told, [and] I can’t think of a better entry point to capture the hearts and minds of fans than to watch the process of this transition unfold through the perspectives of those living it.”
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The format offers brands a meaningful role in supporting athlete-driven stories while connecting with fans who prioritize authenticity.
Sania Feagin will be part of an upcoming docuseries, “Fastest Six Weeks in Sports”.
— WNBAGamecocks (@WNBAGamecocks) June 16, 2025
The series examines the span between the end of March Madness and the start of the WNBA season. Debuts in September on Roku Channel, YouTube, and social media platforms.https://t.co/F3Aq0i2TI2
Ensemble president Ian Schafer noted that today’s audiences respond more to storytelling than standard advertising formats.
As a result, brands are beginning to look for ways to participate in content that builds long-term interest rather than interrupt it.
DoorDash invited the production team to film at its WNBA Draft afterparty, resulting in original scenes that are now part of the series.
Viewership Grows, Budgets Lag
Audience interest in women’s basketball has never been higher.
The 2024 NCAA women’s championship drew 18.9 million viewers, surpassing the men’s final and ranking as the most-watched non-football sporting event of the year.
Schafer says the rise in women’s sports viewership isn’t only about competition but connection.
“One of the primary drivers of the explosive growth of women’s sports is that audiences, thanks to the access they get through social media, see themselves in and can better relate to the personal stories of these athletes.”
“We provide an easy on-ramp for fans, and a natural integration opportunity for brands who can now engage audiences wherever they watch; from connected TV to their mobile devices.”
Despite this, brand investment has not kept pace.
There is a clear disconnect between the scale of engagement and the level of sponsorship support.
As a result, many companies are missing key moments that now rival or exceed traditional sports placements.
In 2025, the WNBA draft also drew record numbers, earning the second-highest viewership in league history.
Even with this growth, most major advertisers remain on the sidelines.
According to a 2024 report from Gather, just 6 percent of Fortune 500 companies sponsor women’s sports.
Fastest Six Weeks in Sports is designed to challenge that imbalance by offering content that connects directly with younger, digitally native viewers, especially Gen Z and female fans.
The series will be available free on Roku, YouTube, and social media platforms on September.
Ensemble is overseeing digital promotion for the series, working with content creators to drive visibility across social media.
Want to see how another brand is celebrating women athletes? U by Kotex’s “Play on Your Period” campaign puts them front and center.
Our Take: Why Are DoorDash and Uncrustables’ Tactics So Effective?
I see this as a smart evolution in brand strategy.
By co-creating narrative, they’re not only building genuine connections with a demographic largely ignored by traditional sponsors, but also demonstrating long-term thinking.
They’re owning stories, not just buying airtime.
