Just as CTV’s growth shows no sign of slowing down, neither does the pace of major sporting events. While the industry is fresh off the back of the Paris Olympics, we’re already looking ahead at a sports-filled close to 2024, starting with NFL kickoff festivities last week. Similar to other sports, the NFL is at a crossroads for data, and has begun to unlock transformative value using its data as the league, its teams, and advertisers look to improve consumer and fans’ experiences and make them as engaging and relevant as possible.
While the Olympics and the NFL differ substantially, the Olympics provides a powerful proof point for CTV and sports.
The Olympics provide another proof-point for CTV + live sports
It’s safe to say that the 2024 Olympics were a hit, helped in large part by Peacock and its innovative strategies to make the Games as engaging for broad audiences as possible.
The Olympics weren’t just a hit by quantitative measures, but qualitative standards as well. In this era of ever-important subscriber numbers, news outlets reported that Peacock added 2.8 million subscribers during the first week of the Olympics, showing the allure of these centerstage sports moments. And Peacock’s content was a smash with viewers – if you didn’t benefit from its Gold Zone coverage and helpful personalization of event coverage, then you surely heard about it from people who did.
And, with the Olympics setting a historic “first” for being available programmatically, advertisers were able to take advantage of this new wrinkle, driving up anticipation for more live sports being available programmatically in the near future – including the NFL.
The NFL is primed for new fans
Even without referencing the various data points around the NFL’s success, it’s safe to say the league is doing well, and is at the cutting edge of the experience that sports need to provide their fans. In addition to being a leader in data-driven marketing, the NFL is in the middle of several key trends that are further boosting its success:
- Giving its dedicated fans engaging new ways to experience its product: The NFL’s Red Zone coverage has existed for years and is one of the pioneers of this team-agnostic format, helping fans to maximize their excitement of games across the league while also catering to related interests like fantasy football. At the same time, formats like Manningcast deepen the experience for fans, while also leveraging some of the leading personalities that have emerged from the NFL over the years. As part of a coordinated approach from the NFL, each of these helps to deepen the data available to the NFL on its fans; every touchpoint offers insights into what a fan likes and doesn’t like as part of their NFL experience, and can be used to personalize future touchpoints.
- Continuing to broaden the fanbase to new audiences: Whether driven by the NFL through initiatives like its flag football programs, or arising organically due to its strength as a cultural juggernaut (see: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce), the NFL is building more fans by the day.
- Making its games available through a variety of platforms and services: Given the tremendous demand for its product, the NFL works with a variety of broadcasters and streamers to make games available to consumers. Additionally, the NFL is one of the leagues leading the way with CTV, having partnered with streaming services Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+, Netflix, and Peacock. As a result, marketers need to be able to execute campaigns across publishers, and have cross-screen measurement capabilities that allow them to accurately assess their performance, as well as make and action on investment decisions, in order to properly advertise alongside the NFL.
However, the NFL needs to take additional steps to ensure these new fans – and all NFL fans – receive engaging, personalized experiences from the League and its advertisers.
How identity helps advertisers by enhancing fandom
As more NFL games air on CTV, more data becomes available on viewers, fans, and their consumption. This data and the insights it uncovers can help networks track viewers and better sell and broaden audiences. As the NFL broadens its fanbase – for example, with the Taylor Swift effect – data will help advertisers to better understand these new fans, what else they may be interested in, and how they can drive relevant, valuable experiences.
When building these new audiences, the NFL faces the common challenge of stitching together disparate data sets from across various channels and touchpoints, in order to resolve fragmented data and drive a holistic view of its fans. By unifying this data, the NFL can develop accurate, powerful insights, which can then drive actionable strategies and business results.
Identity plays a key part here. With identity, data can be properly organized and understood in a privacy-focused way – and from there, the NFL can supercharge its marketing with data collaboration. As data-driven marketing becomes a critical way for marketers to power the experiences consumers want, data collaboration helps break down data silos within companies, as well as between them, helping companies to build customer intelligence while being proactive towards consumer privacy. Data collaboration helps broadcasters to better understand specific audiences, enabling better targeting, as well as driving better insights and more effective marketing.
By collaborating their first-party data:
- The NFL can offer more relevant customer experiences that drive fandom and viewership.
- Brand marketers at the NFL’s advertisers can increase marketing effectiveness by meeting fans where they are, and building campaigns powered by the NFL’s customer data.
- The NFL and its advertisers can collaborate to continue deepening their customer insights, unlocking better marketing – and better consumer experiences.
To learn more about how industry leaders are leveraging data collaboration, check out our webinar with Paramount and Circana.
