A lighter MLB postseason may explain part of the drop as brands weigh linear costs against CTV reach.
Lava gives members more personalized event perks, raising the bar for issuers’ perks and FMNs.
September’s 1.3% gain reveals a slower baseline, making 2026 a risky benchmark for future budgets.
The visibility that makes stars valuable can also amplify the damage when controversies emerge.
As the 2026 World Series wraps up, Major League Baseball (MLB) has a gameplan to engage family audiences and future fans in the offseason. A new partnership with the ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) platform HappyKids, which began in August, aims to expand MLB’s reach, providing kids and families with year-long baseball viewing. Under the partnership, MLB Clubhouse, MLB’s roster of youth-focused programming, runs on HappyKids, making it the first major sports league collaboration for the AVOD outlet.
An underwhelming campaign is prompting the chain to favor brand-led marketing over costly external partnerships.
Now in its fifth year, the program uses relatable role models to normalize active lifestyles for young patients with diabetes.
ABC affiliates risk losing ad dollars while marketers gain reason to prioritize digital inventory.
On today’s podcast, we discuss whether baseball is actually growing, if its traditions are a strength or a weakness, whether it has a star power problem, and which sponsorship opportunities marketers might be overlooking. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Ross Benes, Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, and Senior Forecasting Director Oscar Orozco. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.
As fans spread across platforms, advertisers must measure audience overlap to avoid paying twice for reach.
For Rocket Mortgage, sports marketing isn’t primarily about reaching the biggest possible audience. It’s about making a mortgage lender relevant to consumers long before they’re ready to buy a home. The lender is using partnerships with the NFL and Detroit Lions, major events like the Super Bowl, and experiential activations to build awareness, affinity, and advocacy. The strategy reflects the realities of a category where purchase cycles are long and recommendations still matter.
Live sports is becoming a bigger part of streaming advertising, but reaching fans is no longer enough. As sports rights migrate to streaming platforms and advertisers gain access to new formats, brands are under pressure to demonstrate that their investments are influencing consumers, not simply generating impressions. For Amazon, that means expanding its sports portfolio, attracting advertisers that traditionally haven't invested in sports, and developing ad experiences that complement the action rather than interrupt it.
Key stat: NCAA football collected 37.9% of its season's linear TV ad spending in November alone, according to an August EMARKETER analysis of iSpot data.
In today’s podcast episode, we discuss what would happen if an extended MLB lockout led to a death spiral for regional sports networks (RSNs), the BBC started carrying advertising, and Meta’s Muse flopped. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Ross Benes, and Principal Analysts Bill Fisher and Max Willens. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.
Marketers, creators, and brands descended on midtown Manhattan this week for Advertising Week New York (AWNY), and the conversations kept circling back to three themes: fandom, trust, and street activations. Brands came to make news: TikTok announced new tools to expand the reach of TikTok Shop, Meta launched an upgrade for its Ads Manager business assistant, and Olyzon rolled out an agentic orchestration platform. But beyond the reveals, trends emerged from session topics, panel discussions, word-of-mouth, and private conversations. They revealed the growing importance of fandom's audiences, looking for trust, and IRL activations.
A packed event calendar drove Q2 engagement, reinforcing the value of premium inventory and multichannel campaigns.
Post-game recaps and daily shows offer brands a cheaper way to connect with fans beyond live events.
The game offers global reach and a chance to prove streaming can deliver TV-scale audiences with better ad measurement.
Rising rights fees make game-day inventory pricier, adding appeal to shoulder content and second screens.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss the secret ingredient behind the success of sports shows, whether ancillary content ultimately makes the live broadcast more or less valuable, who now owns the fan relationship, and which sports or leagues are currently under-leveraging this entertainment IP opportunity. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Senior Analyst Ross Benes, and Senior Forecasting Analyst Zach Goldner. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube or Spotify.