Live sports and sport fans offer a huge opening for increased volume and new sign-ups.

The World Cup remains one of the globe’s most popular sporting events. While US interest in the quadrennial event has historically lagged other countries, it may be inching up due to hosting duties—but not dramatically. TV will dominate US viewing habits, and host cities stand to benefit from fans.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss Super Bowl LX: the main takeaways, the biggest winners, and the lessons for marketers. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Ross Benes and Vice President of Content Paul Verna. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.On today’s podcast episode, we discuss Super Bowl LX: the main takeaways, the biggest winners, and the lessons for marketers. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Senior Analyst Ross Benes and Vice President of Content Paul Verna. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Disney and YouTube TV struck a new carriage agreement late Friday, ending a nearly two-week clash that made more than 20 Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC, unavailable on the pay TV service. The outcome reinforces that YouTube is one of the most powerful forces in digital video, pay TV, and streaming. With a pay TV audience that eclipses its competitors and a viewership that is increasingly moving to digital platforms, YouTube TV is well positioned to capture sports-hungry audiences and the advertisers eager to reach them.

YouTube TV could lose access to programming from NBCUniversal’ Peacock as the companies struggle to reach a distribution agreement. Rather than purchasing ad slots tied to a single platform or broadcaster, leveraging data-driven audience segments will help cut across services to follow fans regardless of where they watch, ensuring continued reach as rights scatter.

The NFL is challenging Nielsen’s ratings accuracy, with chief data and analytics officer Paul Ballew telling the Wall Street Journal the firm is “systematically undercounting” millions of viewers. Nielsen countered that its new “Big Data + Panel” product—combining set-top box data with digital signals from 45 million homes—makes this season the most accurate yet. The dispute highlights mounting pressure on Nielsen as streaming reshapes sports viewership. While rivals gain traction, Nielsen remains the dominant measurement firm, but slow integration of first-party data from streaming services leaves major partners like the NFL frustrated. The debate underscores urgency in modernizing TV ratings.

The findings: Banks’ NFL ads did better than other ads on all TV platforms, according to EDO’s NFL TV Outcomes Report. Bank ads that aired during the NFL’s 2024–2025 season programming were 27% more effective than the category average across all broadcast and cable TV platforms, increasing to 47% during the postseason, according to this study. This effectiveness is measured by the ads' ability to drive brand searches and website visits. Our take: Running an ad during an NFL game and featuring a well-known actor or athlete doesn’t come cheap. But if done correctly—leveraging the football platform to tell a compelling, human story—the ROI can make it worthwhile. Financial institutions that haven’t used celebrities or NFL players in their campaigns should consider engaging a third-party agency to make the most of a potential campaign.

The news: As the NFL season approaches and digital video becomes a sports destination, fans are looking to new streaming services to stay caught up—and 35% are planning to subscribe to a new service to watch fall and winter sports, per CivicScience data. Our take: Sports will remain a key opportunity for brands to reach engaged and passionate audiences—but as fragmentation worsens, advertisers must prioritize cross-platform strategies that unlock consistent exposure.

The news: NBCUniversal will charge $8 million for 30-second Super Bowl LX spots, per an Adweek report citing those familiar with the matter. Ads for Super Bowl LX were reportedly going for around $7 million for 30 seconds—but that number has been increased due to high demand. Our take: The Super Bowl is likely the most lucrative advertising opportunity for US brands, as football continues dominating live TV—meaning advertisers are willing to invest despite the high cost. Live sports events, especially the Super Bowl, offer a rare combination of scale, immediacy, and viewer engagement.

Indy 500 hits viewership record in its first time airing on Fox: The event highlights the ongoing battle for media companies to secure sports rights.

With Super Bowl ads costing around a whopping $7 million for a 30-second spot this year, viewers can expect some memorable commercials while watching the Chiefs and the Eagles face-off.

Prime Video may take a stab at streaming news: A successful election night broadcast has the streamer exploring options.

Digital eclipsed traditional pay TV among live sports viewers in 2023. As that lead grows, the growth of women’s sports and betting apps provides marketers with opportunities to reach new audiences.

After a slew of technical failures during November's Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match live stream, advertisers are more aware than ever of what can go wrong during a popular event. And with Netflix's "NFL Christmas Gameday" just around the corner, which will feature Beyoncé performing during the Ravens vs. Texans halftime show, brands can strategize to make the most of a potential broadcast outage.

Fox sells out Super Bowl ad space for $7 million each: The cost of a Super Bowl ad climbs each year, but so does ROI.

30-second TV ad spot costs are falling: Football remains the costliest ad inventory, but viewer pivots to digital are bringing down costs.

Live sports programming accounted for nearly 40% of US national TV ad spend in both Q4 2022 and Q4 2023, according to September 2024 data from iSpot.tv.

The NFL eyes a full season of foreign games: Another rights package could reignite the streaming bidding wars.

Amazon’s $1.8 billion ad milestone solidifies a streaming leader: The launch of ads on Prime Video and Thursday Night Football are responsible for a meteoric rise.

DirecTV signals a broader pay TV battle with Disney: The company filed an FCC complaint against Disney for anticompetitive practices regarding carriage fees.