Dive Brief:
- Turner Sports, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, has launched Turner Sports Live, a new solution focusing on ads in live sports programming across its digital platforms, according to a news release provided to Marketing Dive.
- Advertisers will be able to target campaigns for the more than 51 million viewers across Turner’s digital portfolio with a single ad buy. Available inventory will depend on which sports seasons are active. Turner Sports operates a number of digital media outlets,including NCAA.com, NBA.com, PGATour.com, PGA.com and B/R Live (Bleacher Report Live), which Turner recently launched to act as a hub for the broadcaster's live sports content.
- For marketers, the new platform is designed to provide additional options for their sports marketing strategy via ads in premium live digital video. Providing more transparency in digital ad buys is the goal of the platform, according to a statement included in the release.
Dive Insight:
Live sports continues to be a vital content category for digital video engagement, and it remains a key focus area for marketers. Creating a marketplace where a single buy provides access to millions of sports fans across multiple digital channels will likely be a welcome opportunity for marketers striving to reach these audiences. The increasing rates of cord cutting have led marketers to shift their spend from traditional TV to digital — the new Turner platform could let them combine both worlds.
After years of declines in ad revenue, TV networks are looking for new ways to attract viewers with sports content and engage marketers in order to stay relevant, with digital a key focus of these efforts. Last month, ESPN launched an ad campaign promoting its mobile app that targets consumers beyond sports fans. During the 2018 Winter Olympics, NBC Olympics created interactive video ads for its production of the games.
The sports media landscape could be altered with the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down the federal ban on sports betting. Analysts are predicting that it could create new opportunities for marketers and boost ad revenue and viewership for sports networks. While it may take some time for individual states to legalize sports bedding, it will give TV networks new opportunities to engage with fans on digital platforms. For example, Turner could use its Bleacher Report site to provide stats for bettors and maybe partner with online betting platforms.
