How to Harness the Promise of Linear Streaming
As more live sports move to streaming, media companies must sell advertising against their content across different platforms in a unified way that combines the upfront, premium process of linear with the dynamic execution of digital.
In 2024, the Uefa Euro final matches were the most streamed programmes in the UK — higher even than the Paris Olympics. Research shows that one-third of viewers would have watched the games on streaming, up significantly from just a few years earlier.
Media companies are facing an unprecedented switch from traditional TV as viewers embrace the flexibility and freedom of streaming. For many years, entrenched media companies viewed streaming as a distant threat as digital companies including Amazon and Netflix competed on the margins, mostly with a trove of movies and original serial shows. However, recently, these big streamers have been making moves to gain the rights for the crown jewel of TV content: live sports.
In the US, both Amazon and Netflix have rights to air NFL and NBA games, including two games on Christmas Day that set records for Netflix. In addition to these major contracts, many longer-tail live sport franchises are going the streaming route, including football franchises Ligue 1 and Serie A, which are developing their own streaming platform.
When live sports move to streaming, media companies are faced with a new challenge: selling advertising against their premium content across different platforms in a unified way. This strategy combines the upfront, premium process of linear with the dynamic execution of digital.
A unified strategy
Advertiser demand for premium live inventory is following audiences over to streaming. This means media companies need multichannel execution, from proposal to delivery to reporting. Media companies can manage this inventory by adopting a hybrid approach.