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https://lnkd.in/gtJqz5rw I came across this article discussing the evolving landscape of advertising within the realm of live sports streaming, and I couldn't wait to share it with you all! According to The Current, the surge in Connected TV (CTV) viewership for live sports events has opened up new avenues for advertisers to engage with their target audiences. With more viewers turning to streaming platforms to catch their favorite games, brands are seizing the opportunity to deliver personalized and interactive ad experiences. What's particularly intriguing is how programmatic advertising is revolutionizing the way brands connect with sports fans. By leveraging data-driven insights and advanced targeting capabilities, advertisers can deliver relevant and impactful ads that resonate with viewers in real-time. This not only enhances the effectiveness of ad campaigns but also elevates the overall viewing experience for audiences. As someone deeply passionate about the intersection of technology and marketing, I find these developments incredibly inspiring. It's a testament to the power of innovation in driving meaningful connections between brands and consumers, even in the fast-paced world of live sports. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this article! How do you envision the future of advertising in live sports streaming? Let's continue the conversation in the comments below!

I was fairly frustrated this fall trying to figure out which streaming service(s) I needed to subscribe to in order to watch College Football and the NFL playoffs. Our household is a cord-cutting home, so sports on Cable TV is a no-go. This is a strange dynamic, because for most of my days, I am living and breathing advertising. And Arbor Growth is a huge believer in the power of advertising in sports. Here is why: The top 10% of US households by and large do not watch video advertisements in this day and age. They buy the premium ad-free tier streaming services. Many of our clients are luxury brands or cater to the top 10% of income households. So if one of my clients has incredible video content and wants to sell an awesome product, how do I reach their target audience? SPORTS EVENTS. By advertising during sports events, brands find incredible reach with a mass-market audience, and they are able to get exposure to the top 10% income demographic, which is key for the marketing and advertising of luxury brands. Not even Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos can skip Super Bowl ads. Well, the entire sports entertainment industry is about to be shook up. Three major media conglomerates, Walt Disney Co., Fox Corp., and Warner Bros. Discovery, have announced a collaborative effort to launch a sports-driven streaming service. This is scheduled for launch before the 2024 NFL season. And it will cater to all of us who are seeking alternatives to traditional cable services. While I’m a huge fan, I am not about to buy cable TV just for sports. This new streaming platform will solve that. It will feature major events from the NFL, NBA, NHL, and more. Some events, such as the Olympics, PGA Golf, and the Masters, will not be available on the platform, due to existing deals with other major media outlets. This collab is an acknowledgement of declining ad revenues; by consolidating major sports content, the service aims to maintain competitiveness and attract advertising dollars. Tech giants like Apple and Amazon are increasingly securing sports broadcasting rights (Thursday Night Football on Amazon, Messi League Soccer on AppleTV). This is “The Empire Strikes Back” from the legacy media companies.

There are still kinks to be worked out, as audience SVOD reach and measurement is inconsistent, media agencies say. Nik Doble: For now Foxtel’s combination of elite global content combined with local Sports & News, sets them apart as Australia’s leading streamer. Kevin F.: “But it is important for our clients to test first at these [premium] rate levels to ensure the investment achieves incremental gains vs current channel investment." Gavin Chew: “Sure, they may have their exclusive content; or a slight over-index in a certain demographic; or a certain nuance in their measurement or reporting; but after a while it feels like much of a muchness on the whole." Veronica Gutierrez, Awaken, Half Dome, Adrian Cosstick, Michael Mellington, UM Australia, Mindshare Australia & New Zealand, The Media Store, Annie Marendaz, Ros Allison, Havas Media Network Australia, EssenceMediacom Australia, Anthony O'Callaghan, Orange Line

📢 Exciting news in the world of programmatic advertising! 🚀 As programmatic continues to revolutionize the digital advertising space, platforms like YouTube TV are now embracing it on a larger scale. Check out this informative article from AdExchanger highlighting YouTube TV's increasing adoption of cheap programmatic for tentpole TV shows. 📺 Link: [https://lnkd.in/e5bUiKw9] At Klever Programmatic, a leading managed DSP buying service, we're thrilled to see programmatic making its mark in the realm of tentpole TV. This development presents exciting opportunities for advertisers to reach wider audiences and gain maximum visibility during high-impact television programming. Programmatic advertising enables precise targeting, optimization, and real-time insights. It empowers advertisers to enhance their campaigns by leveraging data and automation, ultimately resulting in improved performance and higher return on ad spend. As brands ramp up their investments in programmatic, it's encouraging to witness industry giants like YouTube TV adopting this strategy for tentpole TV shows. With programmatic's ability to deliver highly targeted ads to relevant viewers, advertisers can ensure their messages reach the right audience at the right time. This seamless integration of programmatic with tentpole TV brings us closer to a more efficient and effective advertising ecosystem. Klever Programmatic is committed to staying at the forefront of these industry advancements, offering our clients cutting-edge programmatic solutions for better ad performance and campaign success. Take a moment to read the article, and let us know your thoughts on this evolving landscape of programmatic advertising in the comments below. Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries or to learn more about how programmatic can transform your advertising game. Together, let's embrace the power of programmatic and revolutionize the digital advertising world! 💪💼 #ProgrammaticAdvertising #TentpoleTV #AdTechRevolution

Marketing pros are upping their stakes in social media, with over half of media decision-makers from brands and agencies now set to increase their budgets this year. This is a significant jump from April's 44%. That's according to Advertiser Perceptions, who surveyed 300 execs from both brands and agencies. Notably, these were big spenders, each having shelled out over a million dollars on ads just last month. The consensus? Social media is delivering better returns than last year. But there's a divide. Brand teams are all for social, while agencies are keener on boosting their digital and traditional TV spends. As highlighted by MarketingDive, agencies often play a crucial role in TV ad deals and are becoming increasingly vital in streaming ad negotiations. Meanwhile, giants like Meta Platforms are seeing a resurgence in growth. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gGXfB4jY #digitalmarketing #socialmediamarketing #adagency #mediabuying #trending #marketing #business

#FridayFind: Warner Bros. Discovery has turned to programmatic guaranteed in its latest attempt to capture more ad dollars, and is making deals like one announced between Warner Bros. Discovery Sports and CNN International create marketplace for sports and political ad dollars. This is good news for advertisers looking to reach sports and political audiences at scale on premium inventory during a year of big sporting and political events in Europe and the U.S., as WBD Connect pledges to reach 350 million global monthly digital unique users across 2 billion average monthly placements. “For advertisers and agencies it [programmatic guaranteed] significantly simplifies access and buying routes where publishers, like the newly announced WBD Connect, are making their inventory available through partners like Magnite, available to access buying across all demand-side platforms,” said Paul Bland, head of biddable, Havas Media Network U.K. “This removes barriers to inventory access in this way will be seen as a positive over single-DSP inventory solutions.” Read more about this opportunity in Digiday here: #programmaticadvertising #advertising #programmaticguaranteed 

𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐫𝐚 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬. Here’s a snapshot of today’s advertising landscape: Social media is poised to take the crown. The latest 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 shows that platforms owned by Meta could soon outpace the entire global linear TV industry in ad revenue. This isn't just about big numbers — it's about a shift in where audiences spend their time. But consider this: Television is not dying - It's evolving. The narrative that TV is losing ground is popular, but let's look deeper. The emergence of Connected TV (CTV) and its current investment stats tell a broader story of adaptation and growth. Despite CTV ad investments being a drop in the ocean compared to the colossal $526.8 billion global internet ad market and the brand's challenges to measure incremental reach, it’s a space brimming with potential. YouTube’s ad spend in 2024 is projected to outshine the entire CTV ecosystem still, but with the gap predicted to shrink to $3.9B. What does this mean for marketers and brands? Opportunity. The implications for strategy and media planning are enormous. We're not just watching a shift; we're part of it. I hope you find this chart useful, where I’ve combined data from the brilliant Warc Reports. Link in the comments - Kudos to the WARC Media team for their stellar research! Alex Brownsell, Celeste H., James McDonald, Suzy Young, Xiaoyu Chen and the SVP Content David Tiltman

I used to make the comparison about social media platforms - tailoring your brand message per platform - because consumers use tech platforms differently (inspiration on pinterest vs scrolling on instagram..) Since being in the CTV world, I feel the same - tailoring your ad to speak to CTV vs linear is SO important. Articles like this from our friends from TVision reaffirm that... if co-viewing is 74% higher on CTV vs linear, you could be talking to that audience in a unique way. #advertising #ctv

The Rise of FAST Networks: How Ad-Supported Streaming is Transforming Media As a former media & telecom banker who has underwritten billions in debt offerings for clients including MLB, NFL, NBA, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Media General, LIN TV, CBS, Viacom, Cablevision, Comcast, QVC, The Weather Channel, AMC, Home Shopping Network, and many others, I keep a keen eye on industry trends and advancements. The rise of FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) networks has piqued my interest over the last several years and now they are gaining massive traction. “The glimmer of a premium FAST network with in-house ad tech stack is intriguing,” said Jefferies analyst Andrew Uerkwitz in a note on the company two weeks ago. “[FAST offerings are] turning into a pretty good profit driver for the company,” Fubo CFO John Janedis said on a call with analysts recently. This week, former National Football League (NFL) and WWE star Shawne Merriman entered the scene with Lights Out Sports, a platform offering sports-centric FAST channels. The Lights Out Sports platform launches with streams of 10 networks, including backyard fight club Streetbeefs, Glory Kickboxing and Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, the MMA league Merriman owns. Expect the ad growth to continue, since the consumer privacy movement that gutted mobile ad targeting has bypassed smart TVs, which are eager to showcase FAST channels. AppLovin, a $28 billion publicly traded marketing specialist that was at the vanguard of targeted ads on mobile, sees connected TVs as its growth area as it refocuses after being handcuffed by mobile phone restrictions. The shift towards connected TVs is notable, especially as companies like Applovin pivot towards them after the mobile ad targeting crackdown. With an average revenue per viewer projected at over $9 this year by DecenterAds, and the global FAST ad market expected to exceed $9 billion—dominated by U.S. spending—it's clear why this model is becoming a cornerstone of digital advertising strategy. The world ad market for FAST ads should top $9 billion this year, dominated by U.S. spending, according to another firm, U.K. analyst Omdia. Two years ago, global FAST ad revenue was less than half that. The evolution of FAST networks, fueled by both technical ease and high profitability through advertising, marks a significant chapter in media consumption. Stay tuned for more insights as this dynamic sector continues to rapidly grow. 👍Like the content? Let me know! 🎤 Share your thoughts in the comments. ♻️ Think this could help someone? Please repost! 🔔 Follow me for more insights: Zack Ellison, CFA, CAIA #Media #Marketing #Advertising #StreamingMedia #StreamingSports #LightsOutXF #Television #FASTNetworks #Streaming

Reactions to the mega sports content ‘merger’: While not technically a merger, the proposed partnership between The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox Corporation to establish a consolidated sports streaming package means that consumers could access ~50% of currently televised live sports via one app. Given the app fragmentation in the content marketplace (and in particular for live sports), this certainly has potential to be a net positive for consumers. A few reasons I’m skeptical/still lukewarm: 1. that still leaves 50% of content needing to be streamed or accessed via other providers (not ideal from a consumer pov). 2. while cable companies have skirted traditional antitrust regulations as ‘utilities’, it’s unclear that this media company partnership will go through as there are very real concerns over consolidation with respect to pricing power. 3. cable tv usage has continued to decline for the past ~half decade plus, yes, but subscriptions are still high historically speaking and a large percentage of the US population still prefers cable. Over time, I imagine cable tv will continue to wane but I don’t see this as a watershed moment (just another event on a longer term trend). Side note: the value for most cable companies comes from the internet portion of the package (vs tv) so while the ongoing tv consumption shifts are real, the financial impacts to cable aren’t necessarily catastrophic. 4. while the younger generation is certainly prone to cord cutting or can even be labeled as cord nevers, they often prefer bite sized content via highlights (X, YouTube, etc) so it’s not clear that many will even want to shell out $40/50 a month for a new package. 5. I don’t think Amazon, CBS, Apple, etc have any intention of bowing out of the live sports race so the utopia content consumers want seems quite far in the distance. 6. as an advertiser, the ROI on sports ads are typically not very good (albeit for only the largest of advertisers who can justify the skyrocketing costs as broader awareness investments). I don’t see how the proposed consolidation will dramatically impact viewership / engagement in any significant way to outweigh continued cost increases. More to come!