Amid shifting habits in media consumption, live sports have demonstrated significant staying power. Over the past five years, the NFL has consistently claimed at least 70 of TV’s top 100 telecasts, and 2024 saw record-setting viewership for major sports events like the Olympics and MLB World Series.
While aligning with sports leagues or game content can help drive brand awareness and consideration, it can also be cost-prohibitive for many advertisers. Some even find themselves locked out of exclusive opportunities.
But unique ad solutions, like pause ads, are leveling the playing field. The strategies below ensure advertisers deliver campaigns that don’t just score but also knock it out of the park.
Reach an engaged audience in sports tentpoles
There is no discounting the game-changing impact of being front and center at a marquee sports event. In a survey of DIRECTV sports viewers conducted last year, nearly nine in 10 reported that they watched major live sports like the Super Bowl, March Madness and the Olympics with friends or family, and 81% enjoyed watching the ads.
Viewers shared that live sports foster a sense of belonging and that they tune in to feel a part of something. Unrivaled fan engagement drives results for advertisers, as viewers pay attention to and appreciate the brands that show up. Data from Kantar found that a campaign appearing during March Madness last year on DIRECTV drove a 4x higher lift in brand awareness and a 2x higher lift in purchase intent compared to the average TV sports campaign.[1]
That’s why streaming platforms are clamoring to make major leagues part of their offerings, nearly quadrupling their spend on sports rights in just two years. As more sports inventory makes its way to streaming, whether through programming rights or as traditional linear providers transition to digital platforms, new opportunities have emerged, especially in programmatic.
Programmatic buying allows advertisers to purchase sports inventory across multiple college football or basketball games through a single, holistic buy while providing more flexibility and efficiency.
Furthermore, platforms have enabled contextual signals, giving brands unprecedented control and transparency over where their ads appear, ensuring that placement aligns with brand messaging. This approach eliminates the need to negotiate with individual networks, streamlining the process and potentially offering more favorable rates.
Driving memorability out of stream
Can’t make it into the big game? Look beyond traditional 30-second ads to find innovative opportunities that drive high impact surrounding sports tentpoles.
Take the Super Bowl. While 70% of DIRECTV viewers watched the entire game from the first through the final quarter, that leaves 30% that may have missed an instream ad during the game. That’s a significant drop-off given the hefty $7 million price tag for a 30-second spot.
Innovative ad formats, like pause ads, shoppable ad units and marquee banners provide an equal opportunity to be seen and break through, connecting with viewers in a unique yet seamless way.
NerdWallet ran a 30-second spot in this year’s Super Bowl. To take advantage of out-of-stream opportunities and extend its campaign when viewers pressed pause, the company implemented a pause ad through DIRECTV Advertising. By tapping into this capability, the brand maintained 100% share of voice throughout Super Bowl Sunday – even during pauses.
Taking advantage of new audience opportunities
New and expanding fan bases are creating fresh opportunities for advertisers to make a winning play. According to Nielsen data pulled by DIRECTV, viewership of the WNBA on DIRECTV nearly tripled, and the audience for Women’s College Basketball doubled. These viewers demonstrate a strong willingness to engage with brands.
According to Nielsen, WNBA fans are significantly more likely to purchase sponsored brands, and last year, eight in 10 viewers of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on DIRECTV indicated a high likelihood to buy from brands that support female athletes.
TGL, the newly formed indoor golf league, and Four Nations Face Off, the international ice hockey competition, both kicked off in 2025 to considerable acclaim. Not only are these new audiences entering the arena, but so, too, are tech advancements that enable advertisers to access linear inventory programmatically, driving greater scale to digital environments. Advertisers will now have more opportunities to meet these emerging fan bases wherever they are watching.
Advertisers score big when they meet fans in the moment – whether it’s during the game’s action, during a moment of pause or when viewers are cultivating new fandoms. It’s all about playing to the audience when they’re primed to engage.
[1]Source: Kantar, DIRECTV Advertising March Madness, Travel Brand Campaign 2/26/24-4/14/24 vs. Normative Campaign Averages Q4’18 – Present TV Sports Norm reflective of average performance of campaigns appearing in sports programming on linear or CTV (AVOD/OEM)
