The Performance Marketer’s Conundrum
In the competitive sports betting realm, the performance marketer’s challenge is twofold: acquire new players and do so profitably. The traditional playbook of mass-market TV advertising, once the go-to for brand awareness, is now a high-cost, low-efficiency gamble. Budgets are under constant scrutiny, and a clear return on investment (ROI) is not just desired, it’s a non-negotiable.
As viewers cut the cord and shift their attention to streaming, performance marketers must follow suit. Programmatic ctv isn’t just a new distribution channel; it’s a strategic solution that promises the precision and measurement needed to win in this evolving landscape.
The Great Migration: Live Sports from Linear to CTV
Live sports, long considered the last bastion of traditional TV, are undergoing a massive transition to streaming platforms. For sportsbook marketers, this represents a major change in how they can reach their audience. A linear broadcast sends a single ad to millions of viewers, but a live stream creates an individual ad request for every single user, leading to unpredictable and massive bid spikes during a single commercial break. This high-concurrency environment requires sophisticated ad tech to manage, as it can otherwise lead to unfilled ad spots, which means lost revenue and missed opportunities. By effectively navigating this transition, sportsbooks can access a new, highly engaged audience that is actively moving away from traditional viewing.
The Real-Time Advantage: Live Sports Data in Programmatic CTV
This migration of live sports to streaming platforms is the single greatest opportunity for sportsbook marketers. It allows advertisers to merge the massive reach and engagement of live sports with the precision of digital data. The key is in leveraging real-time data feeds.
Instead of generic ads, programmatic CTV for live sports allows for dynamic, context-aware campaigns. Imagine running an ad that changes based on the live score, a specific player’s performance, or a crucial in-game moment. This is only possible when you have a direct feed of official, real-time sports data. This level of engagement transforms advertising from a passive experience into a dynamic part of the game itself, capturing the viewer’s attention during peak excitement.
Global Market Insights: The Opportunity is Now
The shift to programmatic CTV for live sports isn’t just a US phenomenon; it’s a global trend that performance marketers in key betting markets are leveraging.
- US: Programmatic CTV ad spend in the US is projected to grow 13% this year to reach $26.6 billion, with CTV accounting for one in ten US dollars spent on digital advertising (eMarketer).
- UK, Spain, & Italy: These markets are at the forefront of programmatic adoption in Europe. Research from IAB Europe and VideoWeek shows that 68% of viewers in Europe’s six largest markets now watch some form of ad-supported video-on-demand (AVoD) weekly, highlighting a massive, addressable audience.
- Canada: The Canadian sports betting market is expected to experience significant growth, making it a vital and expanding market for programmatic CTV strategies. A report by Pixalate found that global open programmatic CTV ad spend rose 10% year-over-year to $5.02 billion in Q1 2025, demonstrating the channel’s accelerating momentum.
The Metrics That Matter
A channel is only as valuable as its ability to prove its worth. Programmatic CTV provides a robust feedback loop that performance marketers demand. Unlike traditional TV, you can measure:
- View-through conversions: Track users who saw a CTV ad and later converted on your website or app.
- Cost-per-completed-view (CPCV): Ensure you’re only paying for ads that were watched in their entirety.
- Attribution modelling: Integrate with your existing marketing platforms to understand exactly how CTV contributes to the overall player journey and conversion funnel.
This data-rich environment gives performance marketers the ability to optimise campaigns in real-time, moving budget to the top-performing creative and audience segments. It’s the difference between blindly spending money on a media plan and making smart, data-informed investment decisions.
Genius Sports: The Winning Strategy for Sportsbook Marketers
For a performance marketer, implementing a programmatic CTV strategy requires more than just access to ad space; it demands a partner with a deep, authoritative understanding of the sports ecosystem. This is where Genius Sports delivers a unique advantage that fundamentally changes the game for your acquisition strategy.
Our partnerships with top-tier leagues like the NFL and English Premier League give you something no other provider can: official, real-time data. This isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the core of a winning performance campaign.
- Pinpoint Targeting with Official Data: We use official, granular sports data to build highly precise audience segments. For instance, we can target a fan who just received a push notification about a goal scored by their favourite EPL team with a real-time betting offer on CTV. This level of context is the key to driving a lower CPA.
- Dynamic Creative that Converts: Our technology allows you to automate and scale video and display ads that dynamically update with live odds, scores and player stats. This transforms your ad from a static image into a compelling, real-time call-to-action that captivates bettors and drives immediate conversions.
- Proven ROI for Sportsbooks: We have a track record of success with major sportsbooks. By leveraging our proprietary data and marketing tools, our partners have achieved significant results, such as one sportsbook beating its CPA targets by 20% with a targeted media buying campaign powered by Genius Sports.
In an industry where every conversion counts, a partnership with Genius Sports isn’t just a media buy—it’s a strategic investment in the technology, data and expertise needed to acquire and retain the most valuable players. We provide the full-funnel solution, from identifying the right audience to delivering the dynamic creative that turns them into players.
