Myrtle Beach welcomed the world’s strongest athletes and thousands of their fans when the 2026 SBD World’s Strongest Man competition took place April 23-26. All four days were sold out, with more than 2,300 attendees coming together on the Grand Strand from across the country and around the globe. The event delivered significant exposure for the destination through national media coverage, a global broadcast footprint, and a highly engaged social audience.
Broadcast Schedule
The first two groups of the 2026 SBD World’s Strongest Man competition are scheduled to air on CBS on Saturday, June 20, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST, offering audiences across the country the opportunity to experience the excitement of Myrtle Beach’s sold-out event.
Additional broadcast dates and times will be announced through World’s Strongest Man social media channels. The competition is also projected to be distributed to more than 100 countries, reaching over 489 million homes worldwide throughout the remainder of 2026.
A High-Value Audience for the Destination
The event drew visitors from well outside the local market, with 89.5% of attendees traveling from outside the Myrtle Beach area. Top markets included Charlotte, New York City, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Philadelphia, with international attendees also making the trip from the United Kingdom, Canada, and the Netherlands. Demographic data points to a high-value visitor, with 30.5% of ticket purchasers between the ages of 35 and 44 and 50% reporting a household income above $100,000 annually, a strong indicator of visitor spending potential for local partners.
Digital Reach, Social Performance, and Email
World's Strongest Man's social platforms collectively reached 9.5 million followers and generated over 480 million views in the year surrounding the competition. During the eight-day event window surrounding the competition weekend, content received more than 21 million combined views on Instagram and Facebook with over 624,000 engagements, and the competition podium reveal post surpassed 1.8 million views, a 270% increase over 2025. Visit Myrtle Beach's own location announcement post reached over 132,000 views and 80,000 accounts on Instagram with more than 5,300 interactions. A dedicated Visit Myrtle Beach email also outperformed industry benchmarks, achieving a 45.6% open rate and a 6.2% click rate, both well above typical marketing averages.
Media Coverage
Coverage of the 2026 event generated an estimated $12 million in media value, approximately 1.14 billion media impressions, and nearly 5 million estimated views, representing a 367% year-over-year increase. Features appeared in USA Today, Yahoo Sports, Men's Fitness, Men's Journal, Muscle Insider, and additional national and international outlets.
Visit Myrtle Beach On-Site Presence
Visit Myrtle Beach maintained a strong presence throughout the competition through venue signage, a custom "Myrtle Beach 2026" sleeve patch worn by competitors all weekend, an on-site branded van and giveaways in Vendor Village, and active placement across WSM digital platforms. Visit Myrtle Beach commercial spots will also air throughout the upcoming CBS and CBS Sports Network broadcast coverage.
The 2026 World's Strongest Man continued to demonstrate the value of bringing world class events to Myrtle Beach, delivering a high-income visitor base, national media attention, and global destination exposure that extends long after competition week ends.