Live sports command major leverage; NBCUniversal is using scale and bundling to defend pricing power as sports rights costs surge and distribution fragments.

Fanatics is building a studio to control sports storytelling. Owning content lets the brand deepen engagement, extend athlete partnerships, and avoid bidding wars for live sports rights.

Amazon is expanding its Prime Video live sports push through major deals with the National Basketball Association (NBA). For advertisers, the betting landscape, combined with mounting options to advertise in live sports, offers opportunities to connect with highly engaged and passionate audiences as platforms expand.

Several channels and platforms saw viewing hikes in August, largely driven by live sports, per Nielsen’s August 2025 Media Distributor Index. The platforms that thrive in an increasingly fragmented media landscape will be those that go all-in on live sports and build a diversified portfolio combining tentpole events like the Super Bowl and emerging growth drivers like women’s sports.

Amazon closed its second annual Upfronts with “significant growth” across independent agencies and holding companies, per Adweek. An Amazon spokesperson cited excitement surrounding live sports offerings on Prime Video as a key driver of growth. Amazon is positioned for sustained ad growth if it continues relying on its sports properties to draw advertiser interest in Prime Video. With Prime Video only making up a fraction of Amazon’s overall ad revenues, the service is far from hitting its ceiling—and future investment in tentpole sporting events will put Prime Video on par with its bigger competitors.

ESPN has launched its long-awaited direct-to-consumer subscription app, consolidating 12 networks and sports rights under one platform. Two tiers—ESPN Select at $11.99/month and ESPN Unlimited at $29.99/month—offer up to 79,000 live events annually, with Unlimited subscribers gaining access to marquee programming like Monday Night Football and NBA games. A Disney+/Hulu bundle is also available for $35.99/month, discounted in year one. Features include multiview, betting tools, live stats, fantasy integrations, and an AI-powered personalized SportsCenter. The move signals an existential reset for ESPN, aiming to convert cable loyalists and younger fans while stabilizing growth in a cord-cutting era.

The news: Paramount struck a $7.7 billion, 7-year agreement with UFC in its first big move after closing its merger with Skydance. The deal will see all 43 live annual UFC events streamed exclusively in the US on Paramount+, while select UFC events will be simultaneously aired on CBS. Our take: With its UFC deal, Paramount is taking the first step toward regaining audience share and ad spend post-Skydance merger, banking on live sports’ steady draw for viewers and marketers.

The news: TikTok renewed its Lionel Messi-focused live broadcast deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) after a successful 2024 livestream, per a blog post. TikTok will partner with Apple TV to broadcast four select matches in the current MLS season, with a dedicated camera angle focused on Messi during each match. Our take: TikTok and Apple TV’s newest move is another bid to capitalize on a well-known athlete in a profitable genre, where advertising opportunities are plentiful and success is essentially guaranteed. Sports are one of the most reliable ad environments, offering scale, loyalty, and global reach.

The news: NBCUniversal is exploring a dedicated sports cable network that would feature content—including NBA games—shown on its Peacock streaming service, per a Wall Street Journal report. Our take: Launching a dedicated sports cable channel could help NBCU open the door to new ad inventory and bolster its cable revenues as traditional TV faces mounting pressure from the streaming transition. Live sports continues to command strong advertiser demand, even as general linear viewership declines.The channel will enable NBCU to better monetize its existing sports rights by repackaging content for cable audiences who might be losing interest in traditional TV.

The news: Netflix and Fox are closing Upfronts on a high note, with ad success driven by live sports and original programming. Netflix anticipates that it will “roughly double” its ad revenues in 2025 from 2024 after a strong second quarter. Our take: Netflix’s and Fox’s success underscores that high-quality, tentpole programming still commands advertiser trust even as broader ad growth slows. Live sports remains a critical touchpoint for advertisers, delivering consistent audience growth and high engagement and attention. Channels that invest in sports—whether streaming or linear—will attract interest.

NBCU looks to secure MLB rights after ESPN backs out: The deal would position NBCU as a one-stop shop for sports, enhancing its value for advertisers.

Netflix sells out WWE Raw sponsorships: Ad inventory is booked for months, proving brands see value in wrestling.

2025 is a crucial year for Netflix’s future: The streaming leader’s first sports rights deal begins in days, teeing up future opportunities.

The traditional TV bundle will further decay as more live sports embrace streaming.

Streaming has been a home run for sports-based advertising Through sports rights, new and niche content, and creative ad formats, every major streamer is attempting to grab a share of sports connected TV (CTV) ad spend.

Netflix tallies its ad-supported subscriber count ahead of Upfronts: A survey shows it could have 22 million US subscribers as it enters an Upfront period rife with competition.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how all the different TV terms fit together, to what degree subscription revenues are moving from pay TV to streaming, who's winning the "digital pay TV" race, and how the new sports streaming service from Fox, ESPN, and Warner Bros. Discovery could change everything. "In Other News," we talk about what a new sponsor logo placement from the WWE will look like and how the US ad market is getting on to start the year. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Ross Benes.

TV networks and streaming services are becoming more selective about producing new content. As a result, reruns of licensed shows and streamed live sports will become more important to marketers.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what was behind the streaming giants staggering subscriber growth, how Prime Video's new ad-tier will affect Netflix, and how a deal with the WWE changes its sports strategy. "In Other News," we talk about an important milestone for ad-supported video streaming. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

Netflix rounds out its best quarter with a WWE rights deal: The streamer is still seeing strong subscription and revenue growth thanks to an ad-supported boom.