Live sports are also moving to streaming, which has made this category accessible to all levels of advertisers — including local businesses.
.jpg)
As more viewers cut the cord and turn to connected TV for their entertainment needs, live sports have become a golden opportunity for advertisers. In fact, according to a study by Deloitte, live sports viewers on average spend 50% more time watching the screen than viewers of other types of content.
While there are quite a few limitations to programmatic advertising during live events, it’s still possible for advertisers of all sizes and goals to get their brand in front of viewers during the big game. Whether it's spring training or college football season, the energy and passion of live sports attract a dedicated and engaged audience. Here’s a rundown of what you need to know about leveraging CTV ads during these high-stakes moments.
With CTV, you can connect with sports enthusiasts who are truly invested in the action. In fact, a study by Nielsen found that live sports viewers are more likely to remember the ads they see, and are 20% more likely to purchase the products and services advertised during sporting events.
Imagine running a high-energy ad for a sportswear brand during an exciting, high-stakes basketball game. This could align your message perfectly with the heightened emotions of the audience, making it more memorable and impactful.
Your target audience is the fans watching the event, and the best way to maximize available scale is to prioritize reach over excessive targeting. Rather than focusing on niche interests, you could target sports fans broadly during major events like the playoffs. This broader approach helps increase impressions and overall brand recall by reaching a wider audience.
Advertisers can still exercise controls over who they hit by following the demographics of the content itself. A luxury watch brand, for instance, might prioritize ads during events like The Masters, where the audience’s profile aligns well with an affluent and detail-oriented demographic.
Diehard sports fans watch more than just the game; they’re watching the pregame breakdown, the halftime show, and postgame coverage and analysis. Not only does this additional content, known as shoulder content, offer more opportunities for your ads to resonate with viewers, but the fans that tune in for this “bonus content” tend to be even more dedicated and engaged.
A car brand could, for example, create a campaign tailored specifically for pre-game shows, using high-energy visuals and athlete endorsements to keep viewers engaged during these anticipatory times.
Advertising during live sports is not a consistent, set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Because delivery is tied to when games occur, expect some variability. For example, if you’re running a campaign during March Madness, the avails will be much higher earlier in the tournament when there are more games.
Conversely, avails will generally drop as the amount of inventory lessens, but these later games are also high-engagement because of their importance. A well-formed advertising strategy needs to take these phases into consideration when planning flights.
While CTV allows for highly-precise geotargeting, going more granular than the Designated Market Area (DMA) level during a live event might limit your campaign's scale. A regional business might find better success by targeting entire DMAs during a game rather than narrowing in on individual neighborhoods, ensuring broader reach while still maintaining local relevance.
Forecasting in the world of live sports CTV advertising can be tricky as tune-in is unpredictable and this dynamic nature of live sports makes precise planning challenging. Advertisers will need to build flexibility into their campaigns in order to manage performance expectations, and remain agile to adjust according to real delivery. Make sure to have a backup plan if avails are tight, or if your targeting is too granular.
Sports are both national and local. To get the most out of your ad spend, consider running your ads across a mix of national networks, regional sports networks, and other niche sports publishers. If you’re targeting hockey events, for example, a niche streaming platform specializing in hockey such as KnightTime+ or Panthers Plus might connect the brand more directly to a team’s passionate local fanbase. Ultimately, it’s best to have a good media mix.
The landscape of CTV advertising is continuously evolving, and advertisers have a unique opportunity to innovate and think outside the box. Consider tailoring your creative to the event, to maximize impact, ad recall, and conversion. For example, a sportswear brand might create an interactive ad during a tennis tournament, asking viewers to scan a QR code to vote for their favorite player to win.
Live sports viewers remain engaged even after the game ends, presenting retargeting opportunities. Using Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) data, advertisers can identify households that watched a major soccer match and follow up with ads promoting related content. And this isn’t limited to just CTV channels! ACR retargeting can be incorporated into omnichannel strategies, if you use a platform that connects the technologies.
By understanding these key aspects, advertising professionals can tap into the full potential of CTV ads during live sports. With the right strategy, you can connect with a passionate audience and make a lasting impact.
Want to learn more? Talk to a CTV expert.
