The last few years have seen a major fragmentation in the distribution of TV sports rights globally. Where once, one or two major broadcasters held sway in any given territory, they now face competition from a plethora of new streaming services. Some, like DAZN, have sport at their core, while others see it as a key weapon in their content armoury in the battle to attract new subscribers.
The emergence of these new services has also presented the sports governing bodies, responsible for maximizing the value of their IP, with an opportunity to pit them against each other in order to generate more revenues. Last July, for example, Disney, NBC and Amazon successfully outbid the incumbent, Warner Bros Discovery, to secure an 11-year media rights deal with the National Basketball Association in the US, with the winners’ streaming capabilities playing a major role in securing the deal.
Similarly, in 2023, Star India, jointly owned by Viacom 18, Disney, and Reliance Industries, retained the rights for Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket. In the US, the TV rights to the March Madness basketball competition are split between CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. It’s a similar story in the UK, where Sky has the rights to the majority of live Premier League football matches, with the remainder shared by TNT and Amazon.
The net result of all this competition and fragmentation is that more and more sports consumption now takes place on Connected TV (CTV), presenting advertisers with a unique opportunity to engage fans in new and innovative ways. CTV opens up so many more possibilities for advertisers, both in terms of the types of ad they show, and the ways in which viewers can interact with them. Here are four key strategies for advertisers to succeed on CTV…
Use Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) for Personalized Engagement
DCO enables advertisers to create dozens, or even hundreds, of slightly different versions of a core ad based on real-time data signals, such as viewer demographics, location, device type and engagement history, in order to personalize it for different audience segments. With DCO, images, offers and calls-to-action can all be dynamically adjusted to make each version of the ad more relevant to the segment of the total audience that sees it. For example, a basketball fan in New York City watching the national Knicks vs. Celtics broadcast might see a geotargeted ad like: “Catch the Knicks in action at MSG this Friday against [opponent]! Get your tickets now!” Meanwhile, a Celtics fan in Boston would see a localized ad for a Boston-based car dealership, ensuring the content aligns with their location. This level of personalization makes the ads more relevant and, therefore, more likely to resonate with the people seeing them.
Add AI into the mix and advertisers can easily and quickly test and iterate different variations of their ads during major sporting events like March Madness and the IPL to enhance viewer engagement and conversions.
Leverage Contextual and Moment-Based Targeting
DCO can also be used to tweak the content of an ad based on what’s happening in the game in real-time. A gambling company, for example, could use a half-time ad slot to show an ad that features the current score and also offers odds on the possible different outcomes at full-time.
Advertisers can also use contextual targeting to ensure that ads resonate with the emotions and excitement of the audience, enhancing brand recall and affinity.
Shoppable and Performance-Oriented CTV Advertising
One of CTV advertising’s standout features is its ability to make ads shoppable. Interactive ad formats such as QR codes, clickable overlays or voice-enabled responses enable viewers to take action directly from their screens, moving them directly down the funnel from awareness to purchase in one step, before other ads and other distractions disrupt their journey.
Using data-driven attribution models, advertisers can then measure the impact of CTV ads on conversions and optimize campaign ROI. By focusing on performance-driven metrics such as cost per acquisition and customer lifetime value, they can align their investment in CTV advertising with measurable business outcomes.
Expand Beyond Traditional Streaming TV with Venue-Based Activations
When we talk about Connected TV, the inference is usually that of people watching television in their own homes. But there’s a whole other universe of Connected TV audiences outside of the home, in stadiums where sporting events are taking place, and in sports bars, fan zones, shopping malls and other public spaces where networks of out-of-home screens enable advertisers to reach sports fans engaging with the big game.
This offers an opportunity for advertisers to implement geo-targeted CTV campaigns that sync with these physical locations where fans gather, driving foot traffic and in-person conversions. Additionally, by deploying cross-screen strategies that connect CTV ads with mobile devices, they can amplify their messaging and encourage direct interaction with the ad, including social media engagement and even conversion to purchase on users’ personal devices.
Maximize advertising impact during big sporting events
Connected TV offers advertisers the ability to reach engaged audiences with unparalleled levels of creativity, precision and personalisation. By leveraging these four strategies, CTV advertisers can maximize their impact during marquee sporting events like March Madness and IPL, driving engagement, conversions, and brand loyalty.
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Angelina Marmorato, AVP of Sales and Partnerships, at Lemma
With 14+ years of experience in online advertising and deep expertise in ad tech since 2015, she brings robust leadership in managing teams, forging strategic partnerships, and driving go-to-market strategies across video, CTV, and programmatic advertising. A committed advocate for inclusive leadership, she actively supports and sponsors DEI and women-focused initiatives within advertising and tech. Known as a “Swiss Army Knife,” she has thrived in diverse roles spanning account management, client services, product, solutions engineering, and sales.