Shifting Sports Media Landscape is Prime Playing Field for Digital Advertisers.

Your pigs have been blanketed. Your dip layered. And your chicken wings tossed and sauced.

As you sit down to take in your favorite sports action, the landscape looks a bit different than it has in years past.

Finding live sports these days feels like solving a streaming-service Sudoku. Is it on Amazon? Peacock? ESPN+? Apple TV+? Maybe TBS, TNT, Paramount+, or even Netflix? Wait, is this one that is still on network TV? The simple days of tuning into the game on a handful of networks are long gone.

In the 2000s, sports broadcasts were predictable: major networks, ESPN, and the occasional Turner channel. Today, leagues splash broadcast rights across platforms like Jackson Pollock painting, fueling a streaming arms race. Why? Money—big money. U.S. sports TV and streaming rights hit $29.5 billion in 2024 and are on track to reach $35 billion by 2027, nearly doubling in a decade. Cord-cutting has only sped up this shift, diverting revenue from traditional broadcasters to streamers.

For advertisers, this fragmentation poses challenges—but also immense opportunity. Live sports remain a rare “guaranteed” audience, where fans tune in with undivided attention. Here’s how savvy advertisers can make the most of this evolving landscape.

The New Playing Field

Streaming exclusivity is reshaping sports broadcasting. The NFL’s Thursday Night Football streams on Prime Video through 2033, while YouTube owns the Sunday Ticket package. MLB offers Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+, and MLS signed a decade-long global deal with Apple. Elsewhere, fans of European soccer are navigating diverse platforms: the Premier League streams on Peacock, La Liga and Bundesliga on ESPN+, and the UEFA Champions League, along with Serie A, on Paramount+. College sports are also evolving: the Big Ten launched a $7 billion+ agreement spanning Fox, CBS, NBC, and Peacock—excluding ESPN—while the SEC continues its lucrative partnership with Disney and ESPN. Even Netflix is joining the action, now streaming WWE’s Monday Night Raw.

This shift is monumental: by 2023, digital live sports viewership outpaced linear TV—a gap that will only widen. The price tag for streaming rights underscores the stakes. Amazon pays $1 billion annually for NFL matchups, Apple shells out $85 million yearly for MLB games, and Netflix’s recent deals total billions. To recoup costs, platforms lean on subscription hikes and, of course, advertising.

Capturing Loyal Audiences

Sports fans don’t wait for replays—they watch live. This loyal audience is gold for advertisers, with sports consistently dominating top-viewed broadcasts. And the rise of sports gambling is pulling in even more engaged viewers. By 2025, U.S. sports betting will surpass $200 billion, with 37 million bettors tuning in, 85% of whom say gambling boosts their game-watching interest.

Half of Americans watch live sports, and most now stream. By 2028, digital live sports viewers will hit 133 million. Yet the fragmentation frustrates fans—69% say it’s a hassle to juggle platforms. For advertisers, it means strategizing across multiple channels.

Platforms are adapting. Amazon partnered with Nielsen for TV-like ratings of Prime’s NFL games and rolled out shoppable ads. CBS integrates streaming metrics into its Super Bowl ratings. Even legacy events like the Masters and March Madness embrace streaming, creating cross-platform ad opportunities.

Omnichannel Strategies

The rise of CTV is a game-changer. Sports viewership on YouTube’s TV app grew 30% in 2024, making CTV a prime channel for targeting Gen Z and millennials. But the real MVP? Smartphones. Fans use second screens to bet, engage on social media, and look up stats during games.

Cross-platform campaigns thrive in this environment. Coinbase’s famous Super Bowl QR code ad saw 20 million scans in a minute, crashing the app and proving the power of digital synergy. With tools like private marketplaces and contextual targeting, brands can hit the sweet spot with engaged sports audiences across devices.

As live sports go digital, the game has changed—but for advertisers ready to adapt, the opportunities are endless.

The time to evolve is NOW, however, it is also time to get back to the game — your snacks are getting cold.