OzTAM Announces Nexxen as Latest VOZ Streaming Partner
March 31, 2025
Get in the Game! Best Practices for Programmatic Advertising in Live Sports
- Nexxen
In an upcoming special report from Nexxen, Inside Live Sports: Linear, CTV, digital and the complexity of today’s landscape for live sports fans, we found that 30% of respondents reported spending more time watching live sports on CTV in 2024 compared to 2023. And today, that’s where 73% of live sports viewers are watching! Now is the time to reach these engaged viewers. Make sure your programmatic spend on live sports is as effective as it can be with these best practices.
1. Secure Premium Inventory with Competitive Bidding
Live sports command premium CPMs due to their strong audience engagement. With high demand for inventory, it’s crucial to have a competitive bidding strategy to secure impressions during major sporting events.
PRO TIP: To stay ahead, bid $1–$2 above the floor price to increase your chances of securing impressions.
2. Maximize Inventory & Scale
At Nexxen, live sports inventory is exclusive to CTV/OTT. You can extend your reach by utilizing shoulder content (pre-game, post-game, and sports-adjacent content) across all devices including CTV, OTT, display, and OLV to extend brand exposure.
PRO TIP: Keep targeting broad—minimizing strict audience filters allows for better scale and delivery.
3. Geo-Target for Optimal Reach
Geo-targeting plays a critical role in ensuring your ad reaches the right audience without restricting scale. Using state-level or top 10–15 DMA (Designated Market Area) targeting for a balance between reach and regional relevance is key.
PRO TIP: Avoid hyper-local targeting (e.g., zip codes) as it significantly limits scale in fast-moving live events.
4. Leverage Biddable Guaranteed Deals
For advertisers looking to secure inventory while maintaining flexibility, Biddable Guaranteed (BG) deals offer the best of both worlds. These deals allow advertisers to secure premium live inventory upfront while still benefiting from real-time bidding. This approach ensures flexibility to adjust to fluctuating viewership while guaranteeing access to valuable impressions.
PRO TIP: Utilize BG deals for tentpole events such as the NBA Finals or World Cup to ensure presence during high-impact moments.
5. Choose the Right Ad Duration
Ad length plays a key role in user engagement, especially during live sports where attention spans might be shorter due to the fast-paced nature of the content.
PRO TIP: 15–30 second ads perform best, aligning with live sports consumption habits and minimizing drop-off. 60+ second ads are harder to fill due to short and unpredictable ad breaks, making them less effective for in-game placements.
6. Increase Scale Beyond the Live Event
Live sports campaigns shouldn’t stop at the final whistle—extending engagement beyond the game maximizes brand impact. Implementing cross-device strategies (CTV + mobile + desktop) can keep your brand top-of-mind post-game.
PRO TIP: Utilize sports-adjacent content to engage audiences even after the live event concludes.
Connect With Us
Learn how you can effectively and meaningfully leverage today’s video and CTV opportunities with our end-to-end platform, data and insights.