Russell Karp 🇺🇦’s Post

🏟️ A winning session at Advertising Week New York! 🏟️ Tara Gotch, EVP at Comscore, Inc., joined a powerful conversation on the massive reach opportunities in sports programming and how advertisers can navigate the challenges of platform fragmentation. Accurate measurement has never been more crucial with sports rights shifting and content spread across linear, digital, CTV, and social platforms. Tara shared key strategies for cross-platform measurement and highlighted the latest innovations that allow marketers to quantify their scale and impact across channels. 📺📱 #AWNY #SportsMedia #AudienceReach #CTV #CrossPlatformMeasurement #Comscore #BroadsheetClient

https://lnkd.in/esFECuNQ The app got off to a decent start, sparking hope it would be more successful than its predecessor Barstool Sportsbook, but data indicate otherwise. In a new report, JMP Securities noted that as measured by handle, ESPN Bet’s second-quarter online sports wagering market share slide to 3.2% from 4.7% in the first three months of the year.

✅🖥️ DIGIDAY (9/20): “The NFL overhauled its app ahead of the season’s kickoff last week, placing its ad-free RedZone streaming service at the center of its NFL+ premium customer offering. At the same time, European soccer leagues including France’s Ligue 1 and Italy’s Serie A have pushed forward with their streaming efforts, with the former’s games now shown online only in the crucial U.K. and Ireland market. Sports organizations know that demand for these services stems, in part, from the complexity (and cost) consumers face when trying to view every televised match their team takes part in. NBA games, for example, are set to be split across four different media providers, while English Premier League fans would have to subscribe to Sky Sports, TNT Sport and Amazon Prime Video to follow their club’s season in its entirety. RedZone is priced lower than cable or streaming packages — $35.99 a year, compared to $59.99 for CBS and Peacock, for example — and has been available through the NFL+ subscription package as a standalone streaming service since 2023. It’s now the centerpiece of the NFL’s digital app, and a major component of the NFL’s attempt to answer that consumer demand for simplicity. The service itself is simple enough — a subscription simulcast that pulls from CBS and Fox’s live Sunday coverage, bouncing between games with no breaks and no ads (though, there is room for advertisers around the edges — DraftKings, for example, currently sponsors RedZone). The result, said Lauren Manning, the NFL’s head of product design, UX and research, is “one of the best kind of lean-back ways to watch football of any variety, on any device.” ⬇️🏈⚽️ #streaming #ctv #ott #avod #svod #tvos #cordcutting

"The idea that fans will watch only their home team is also being eroded by the rising popularity of fantasy sports and betting, both of which require players to keep an eye on the whole league. The young are keenest: a quarter of millennials regularly bet on sport, versus 6% of baby boomers, according to Deloitte Media firms are piling into gambling to keep young fans interested. Disney, which used to think betting would tarnish its family-friendly brand, last year launched ESPN Bet, a gambling venture, in partnership with PENN Entertainment, Inc, a casino operator. The forthcoming ESPN streaming service will make it easy for users to place a bet. Sports leagues like gambling, too: the National Football League (NFL) reports that fans who bet watch longer than the rest. F1, which used to attract few flutters (in part because races’ outcomes are partly dictated by team orders) hopes that short-term, in-race bets may allow more room for gambling" https://lnkd.in/ewg_NJkh

ESPN focuses on its direct-to-consumer flagship product, even as Venu Sports faces a legal setback that delays its launch. Fubo’s successful block of Venu until at least 2025 has caused ripples across the industry, but ESPN and Disney are keeping their eyes on their priorities. Venu’s potential impact might be more significant for Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, with ESPN viewing it as a small part of a broader strategy. With the industry's evolving landscape, ESPN will likely weigh its options as the appeals process unfolds. Meanwhile, Fox relies on backend tech from Venu, and WBD faces challenges after losing NBA rights. The future of Venu remains uncertain, with a high subscription price and limited content potentially hindering its prospects. #ESPN #VenuSports #SportsMedia #SportsRights

US Digital Sports Viewership Growth insights - latest Emarketer data - 105 million+ Americans will stream live sports in 2024, marking a 466% rise since 2018. - Traditional TV sports viewing continues to drop, with only 41.5% of adults expected to watch via cable. - Connected TV ad spend is projected to hit $29 billion, as advertisers follow audiences shifting to digital. - New sports deals on streaming platforms like NFL on Netflix, NBA and WNBA on Amazon Prime, and linear TV sports on Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV are fueling this digital growth. - This momentum is expected to continue, with 118 million digital sports viewers predicted by 2025. As digital platforms dominate, sports streaming is transforming both the viewer experience and advertising opportunities. Brands need to embrace this trend to reach highly engaged, younger audiences in real time. The future of live sports is clearly digital! #SportsStreaming #DigitalTransformation #EmarketerData #DigitalSportsViewership #AdvertisingTrends

The NBA media rights conversation is heating up, with a potential move to streaming giants like Amazon or MAX (WBD). This reflects the broader shift to CTV, where streaming is becoming a powerhouse for live sports. Operative is empowering leading media companies to navigate and excel in the live sports advertising arena with our advanced advertising workflow tools, complemented by STAQ's comprehensive reporting & analytics. Stay informed on how to get in on the action in the sports streaming world with this insightful article. https://lnkd.in/eS6zMb2V

CTV Ad Servers: Understanding CTV Ads- A Simple Guide In today's digital age, advertising has taken on new forms and platforms. One such platform that has gained significant attention is Connected TV (CTV). CTV allows viewers to stream video content through internet-connected devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming sticks. As advertisers navigate this landscape, understanding the role of CTV ad servers becomes crucial. In this blog post, we'll delve into what CTV ad servers are, how they work, and why they matter. https://lnkd.in/g6JT-qSi

Is the streaming service coming up from ESPN, FOX, and WarnerBros/Discovery a game changer or just a repackaged cable bundle? In my latest op-ed for Sports Business Journal, I delve into the new bundle to explore the implications of three titans of sports entertainment joining forces. With the trio controlling a whopping 85% of US sports rights, their platform has the potential to provide an innovative experience for both consumers and advertisers alike. And, with all that first-party data under one roof, the platform could provide a curated sports viewing experience unlike anything fans have seen before. Moreover, advertisers will be able to reach consumers with better personalized ads. Is this the future of sports streaming? Read the full op-ed here and tell me what you think: https://bit.ly/4cCxzSr #streaming #advertising #sports