Is Buying TV Advertising During Live Sports Worth the Premium?
4 Minute Read
75 of the top 100 biggest TV audiences in 2024 were live sports broadcasts.
Last year was also the first time digital sports viewership outpaced traditional TV.
If you aren’t investing in connected TV advertising, you’re dropping the ball big time. Viewers have cut the cord, and they’re turning to connected TV (CTV) for shows, movies, sports, and more.
Professional sports dominate today’s TV landscape. According to Sportico, NFL games alone accounted for 15 of the top 20 broadcasts in the U.S. last year.
Television media buyers, advertisers, and customers have been navigating eroding TV ratings, time-shifted viewing, and other big changes in the way people watch TV for some time now. If you want to maximize the impact of your TV advertising campaigns, you need to focus not only on what people are watching (sports, political programming, and awards shows make up the most popular shows) but where and how people are watching.
Connected TV ads represent the biggest opportunity for savvy media buyers to reach their target audiences during live sports. It is a cost-effective strategy for driving visibility for your ads when a high volume of people are tuning in.
Connected TV Creates New Opportunities for Advertisers
Broadcast TV no longer has a stranglehold on live sporting events. Most of the top streaming TV platforms (including YouTube TV, Prime Video, and Hulu) offer packages with live sports coverage. Some streaming platforms are also getting exclusive rights to live sports, the most notable example being Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.
These trends have introduced affordability into the advertising mix. Instead of only running commercials on broadcast TV—where you can expect to pay a premium—you can run ads on one or more streaming TV platforms.
To be clear, you’ll still be going up against some of the biggest brands. Last year, people watching on broadcast TV and streaming viewers alike saw memorable commercials from GMC, PayPal, USAA, Capital One, and Verizon (to name a few).
But unlike with broadcast TV, ads for small and medium-sized businesses actually have a chance of being seen on connected TV. That’s because CTV ads offer targeting and audience segmentation, which allows for personalized advertising.
Long gone are the days of trying to break through to a mass market. The fractured TV viewing landscape might be a bummer for those seeking broad appeal (and the profits that come with it), but it’s a boon for smaller advertisers who can hone in on the right viewers and deliver targeted ads during the biggest broadcasts.
Getting the Most from Connected TV Advertising
Twelve Three Media is a partner with The Trade Desk, which gives us access to inventory of top-tier publishers, robust audience targeting, and real-time data for precise and efficient ad delivery. We have run numerous connected TV advertising campaigns through this platform, including several centered around live sporting events (most recently this year’s March Madness).
One of the major benefits of CTV ads is that these campaigns are a much more efficient strategy for reaching a highly engaged audience than traditional TV commercials. This is especially true when compared to live sports advertising on broadcast, for which television networks and affiliates charge a hefty price tag.
Using The Trade Desk, we are able to track who sees a traditional TV ad and target digital ads to only people who have not seen a traditional ad. This allows us to extend the TV presence to new audiences on CTV without wasted impressions, as well as preserve more of each client’s budget.
With its focus on audiences over ratings, advertising on streaming TV has turned the old method of media buying on its head. You can reach your target audience on any device, TV or mobile, on virtually any program. Live sports still dominate the ratings landscape (so ad buys during these programs will be more competitive), but the proliferation of streaming options has opened up the advertising space.
Ready to Reach Your Audiences Through Connected TV Advertising During Live Sports?
Most businesses aren’t on the Fortune 500. They can’t afford to spend hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars on one TV spot during a big game. Streaming finally gives you the chance to advertise on TV affordably when people watch sports on streaming services.
People love watching sports, and they’re turning to connected TVs. By delivering the right ads to the right audience, you can make your ads stand out from the crowd and grow your business without breaking the bank.
Contact Twelve Three Media Today!
Learn how our experts can help you dominate the competition with cutting-edge connected TV advertising. Don’t wait till game day; ask about our innovative digital advertising solutions for live sports and other programs.