At the steep price of $7 million for a 30-second ad, most marketers can’t afford a commercial during the Big Game. But that doesn’t mean you have to sit on the sidelines. Instead, focus on the growing audience of sports fans streaming the game and related programming on Roku.
If last year’s results are any indication, many will stream the football event of the year rather than watch it on traditional TV. Last year on Roku, approximately 8.6 million households streamed a channel broadcasting the Big Game during game play, and streaming reach for the game increased 31.7% compared to the previous year.
For events big and small, sports fans are choosing streaming services. In fact, 30%+ of the average weekly reach among adults 18-49 for major sports leagues now lives on TV streaming.¹ Once they ditch traditional TV, they aren’t looking back — even for a special event like the Big Game.
As this year’s Big Game approaches, marketers naturally want to capitalize on the excitement. Here are four easy ways to engage sports streamers for the Big Game and beyond.
Capitalize on streaming searches
It’s likely that streamers will search for programming associated with the Big Game on their connected TV devices, giving savvy marketers an opportunity to capitalize. With Rihanna making her long-awaited comeback at this year’s halftime show, perhaps streamers will watch a Savage X Fenty fashion show or a Rihanna movie like Guava Island, Ocean's Eight, or This is the End. It happened last year. After halftime performances by Eminem and Dr. Dre, Roku saw a spike in viewership of their films 8-Mile and Straight Outta Compton.
The commercials are always highly anticipated and we’re certain to see ads for new movies — likely prompting searches for franchise titles. For example, Paul Rudd is promoting another Ant-Man film through a tie-in with Heineken 0.0. Could that prompt searches for 2015’s Ant-Man or 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp?
Focus on the entire playing field
From sports talk programs to tailgate cooking shows, there is plenty of engaging sports programming not directly tied to the Big Game. Many games are streamed free to a growing audience of sports fans who can no longer be reached on linear TV.
Tapping into programming adjacent to the Big Game represents a great opportunity for marketers to engage with sports fans. The Roku Channel has many popular options, such as:
1. The Rich Eisen Show: Our first-ever, exclusive daily sports talk show with Emmy-award winning broadcaster Rich Eisen. Leading into the weekend of the Big Game, from 12-3 PM ET, Rich will be hosting live 1-hour sessions with athlete guests, including Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith, Kurt Warner, and more, to talk about the Big Game.
2. Emeril Tailgates: The Postseason Chef Emeril Lagasse introduces you to all the delicious – and sometimes unexpected – tailgating fare inspired by fans around the country in this three-episode countdown leading up to the Big Game.
3. The Cupcake Guys: Produced by Michael Stahan’s SMAC Productions, former NFL stars Michael Griffin, Brian Orakpo, and their accountant friend Bryan Hynson invite you to celebrate the pursuit of their long-time dream of opening a bakery.
Help streamers find the sports they love. Almost three-quarters (74%) of Roku streamers follow sports and 28% consider themselves to be avid fans.² But cord cutters have sometimes struggle to find games, sports talk shows, and other programming. In a 2021 study of Roku streamers, more than half (56%) indicated that they wanted a centralized location to stream all their sports.³
That led us to launch Sports Zone, making it easier for sports fans to find and stream the championship game and other programming, taking the guesswork and frustration out of the sports viewing experience. It integrates live, upcoming, and sports-related content in a single hub.
Innovations like Sports Zone offer a great opportunity for advertisers to reach streaming sports fans and add value to their experiences. For example, a brand can add a native banner ad on the Sports Zone home screen that takes fans directly to an important game with one click. Such a timely, relevant ad not only puts your brand on valuable real estate, it can help a streamer easily find their way to their favorite game or sports program.
Play the long game
The Big Game might be the year’s biggest single event, but the sporting calendar is full of events that excite fans year-round. From March Madness to NBA Tip-Off to baseball’s Opening Day, there’s always a big event around the corner. There really is no offseason.
That gives advertisers an opportunity to connect with a high-value streaming audience during events they care about throughout the year. Instead of just focusing only on the Big Game (which is saturated by marketers), play the long game and focus on the entire sports calendar.
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¹ Roku analysis of Nielsen Data, 2022
²¯³ Roku Internal Data, Based on a survey of 1,307 Roku users in September, 2021/2022”
