Live sports has always been one of the most powerful and culturally unifying forces in media. What’s changed is where those moments are happening — and who can now access them. As fans continue shifting to streaming, live sports has become a centerpiece of modern Connected TV (CTV) strategies. But for years, those premium in-game moments were effectively reserved for national advertisers, locked behind high costs, fragmented inventory, and complex buying processes that shut local and regional brands out. That dynamic is changing fast. To understand how access, adoption, and perceptions around live sports on streaming are evolving, we partnered with Advertiser Perceptions on a new study examining how advertisers are planning, buying, and valuing live sports on CTV. Conducted in October 2025 among 303 ad agency or brand-side marketers directly involved in CTV decision-making, the findings point to a clear shift — and a widening opportunity for local and regional advertisers. Here’s what we found: Live Sports Is already central to CTV strategies More than three-quarters (78%) of advertisers involved in CTV are already running live sports campaigns on streaming platforms. Live sports is no longer a test-and-learn environment — it’s becoming an essential component of CTV strategies as advertisers follow where fan engagement is strongest. This reflects a broader reality: premium live content is increasingly streaming-first, and advertisers want to be present when audiences are most attentive, emotionally invested, and engaged in real time. Momentum is building — and budgets are following 79% of advertisers who advertise in live sports on CTV are extremely or somewhat likely to increase their ad spend over the next 12 months. Even among advertisers not currently active in live sports CTV advertising, nearly 40% expect to begin. The message is clear: advertisers want more access, flexibility, and scalable ways to buy into premium, real-time moments — and they’re planning to invest accordingly. And for local and regional advertisers, this represents a meaningful inflection point. As live sports inventory becomes more accessible through streaming, the same environments that once required national-scale budgets are increasingly within reach. Advertisers see live sports as more valuable than other premium content Among current live sports advertisers on CTV, 77% say live sports is more valuable than other types of premium content. That perceived value isn’t surprising. Live sports deliver massive, real-time audiences with a level of attention and emotional intensity that’s difficult to replicate elsewhere — especially in an increasingly on-demand media landscape. Strong performance across the funnel 7 in 10 advertisers already advertising in live sports on CTV believe it is better at increasing brand awareness, brand favorability and brand recall vs. other types of premium content — and 6 in 10 say it drives stronger conversions as well. In other words, live sports isn’t just a branding play. For many advertisers, it’s delivering measurable impact across the full funnel. What’s notable is that this confidence extends beyond current buyers. Over 50% of advertisers not currently advertising in live sports on CTV expect it would be better overall for increasing brand recall and brand awareness than other types of premium content. That expectation signals strong latent demand — particularly as barriers like cost, buying complexity, and limited programmatic access continue to ease. What this means for local and regional advertisers Historically, live sports on TV has been expensive, fragmented, and difficult for local advertisers to access. Even as audiences migrated to streaming, many of those same barriers remained — until recently. Today, the evolution of CTV ad tech is changing what’s possible. Programmatic access, smarter curation, and improved transparency are allowing local and regional advertisers to tap into premium live sports environments with far more control and efficiency than ever before. Just as importantly, SMBs can now access the same types of inventory and measurement tools that national advertisers have long relied on. That level of parity matters. It enables smaller advertisers to show up alongside major brands during high-impact moments — without sacrificing budget discipline or relevance. Technology plays a critical role here. Smart curation ensures that live sports inventory is selected thoughtfully, aligning brand-safe environments with the right audiences and markets. Rather than forcing advertisers to navigate fragmented rights and platforms, modern CTV solutions simplify access while preserving quality and scale. The study makes one thing clear: live sports on CTV is quickly becoming one of the most valuable and sought-after premium environments in advertising. Most advertisers already active in live sports plan to increase spend, and even those on the sidelines expect strong performance across brand metrics. At the same time, lingering concerns around cost and complexity highlight the importance of simpler, more transparent ways to buy into live event environments — without sacrificing control, quality, or measurement. For local and regional advertisers, the path forward lies with partners (like Premion) who can bridge the gap between premium live sports inventory and modern programmatic access with solutions that deliver the ease and transparency today's marketers expect. As streaming continues to redefine how sports are watched, the opportunity for advertisers of every size is no longer theoretical. It's here. |
