With a major influx of live sports imminent, the streaming ad ecosystem remains overcomplicated and inefficientWhile progress is being made, the industry may have a chaotic year-plus in store as advertisers and streamers adapt
For one thing, ad inventory during live streaming sports telecasts is split among several controlling parties, including the sports league, the streaming app and both national and local linear broadcasters , as well as any ad-tech firms — known as supply-side platforms, or SSPs — streamers may employ to help sell inventory.
The problem is, sometimes the SSPs are also unable to fill the ad slot, leading to either “house ads” for the service you’re already watching or the familiar “We’ll be right back” streaming slates being displayed. As a case study, the report also notes Prime Video had about 145 brands advertise on its “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts during the 2023-24 season, versus 220 for NBC’s Sunday night coverage and 365 for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.”