In this article:
- A Look at Audience Reach and Attributes Across Major Leagues
- Understanding distribution for the big four leagues
- Ad Pricing Breakdown – Inclusive of linear + streaming (2026 Estimates)
- A wealth of CTV buying options, all in one place
More sports fans are turning to streaming services in addition to, or instead of, legacy broadcast coverage. With streaming services now accounting for 43% of weekly sports viewing in the Fall 2025 season (up 28% since 2022)1, the audience has clearly shifted. And advertisers naturally want in on the game.
Easier said than done. The migration of fans and games to CTV has created a fragmented market where sports inventory is harder to find. This is a particular problem in 2026, a year packed with tentpole sporting events. In addition to the traditional Big 4 (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL), the Winter Olympics and the highly-anticipated World Cup present advertisers with sprawling options.
Here, we provide an updated snapshot of the sports media landscape and what advertisers need to know.
Where do fans stream their sports?
The streaming audience not only watches more content, but they are also more engaged with it2.
The implications for media buyers are obvious. If your target audience is World Cup fans, for example, you’ll want to align with streaming services that offer immersive soccer coverage. The same logic applies for fans of basketball, the World Series, and so on.
Here’s a breakdown of where fans can stream the biggest leagues in 2026:
- NFL: Spread across Prime Video (TNF), Peacock/NBC (SNF), ESPN/ABC (MNF), Paramount+/CBS, Netflix (Christmas), and YouTube (Sunday Ticket)
- MLB: Split across Fox, ESPN, Apple TV+, NBCU/Peacock, TBS, and Netflix, with regional coverage increasingly shifting to league-controlled MLB Local Media
- NBA: Divided among Prime Video (Friday/Thursday games, NBA Cup, Play-In), Peacock (Monday exclusives), and ESPN/ABC
- NHL: Primarily through ESPN/ABC/ESPN+, as well as TNT/Max
- MLS: Exclusively on Apple TV+ for all 510 regular-season matches, with select games also airing on Fox/FS1 (34 games plus playoffs and MLS Cup)
Importantly, this is just a snapshot of live streaming coverage. It doesn’t include the myriad CTV options for additional sports-related programming, including stats, highlights, talk-show commentary, and documentaries.
To capture a holistic audience, buyers must navigate a complex web of rights and platforms, including broadcast networks, cable, regional sports networks, and an array of streaming services. The pain is real, but this fragmentation can also act as a segmentation tool for media buyers as viewers self-sort according to their preferences.
A Look at Audience Reach and Attributes Across Major Leagues
| Metric | NFL | MLB | NBA | MLS |
| Championship viewership | ~125M avg (Super Bowl) | 16.1M avg (2025 World Series) | 10.3M avg (2025 NBA Finals) | 4.6M multi-platform (2025 MLS Cup) |
| Reg. season avg. viewers | 18.7M per game | 1.8M–2.0M (ESPN/Fox national) | 1.8M (through All-Star break) | ~120K unique/match (Apple TV) |
| Median viewer age | ~50 | 53 | 34 | 39 |
| Season window | September–February | March–November | October–June | February–December |
| Primary streaming platforms | Prime Video (TNF), Peacock, ESPN+, YouTube (Sunday Ticket) | Apple TV+, ESPN+, Peacock, Netflix | Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, ESPN+ | Apple TV+ (exclusive) |
| Key demographic edge | Largest overall reach; affluent (70% HHI $100K+) | Affluent, 35–54, strong Hispanic reach | Youngest, most diverse, Gen Z | Youngest, Hispanic/Latino, World Cup tailwind |
Source: Nielsen, EDO, Simulmedia, Colormatics, Industry Reports.
Understanding distribution for the big four leagues
NFL: NFL is the largest sports league globally, averaging 18.7 million viewers per game in the 2025 regular season — up 10% year-over-year3. Rights are wildly fragmented. CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC/ESPN carry broadcast games, Prime Video has Thursday Night Football, and YouTube offers out-of-market access via NFL Sunday Ticket.
MLB: MLB's distribution was restructured in 2025, when the league entered new rights deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix, joining existing agreements with Fox, Apple TV+, and TBS 4. The result: buyers now navigate six different national platforms5. A resurgence in viewership (World Series up 46%6, regular season up double digits across networks7) makes MLB the comeback story of 2025–26, generating renewed opportunity for brands.
NBA: The NBA entered a $76 billion deal with Disney (ESPN/ABC), Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal, presenting an opportunity to reach Gen Z and multicultural consumers who can’t see these games in linear channels8. With NBC sold out before tip-off and viewership up 89%, demand will only intensify9. The NBA delivers a young and diverse audience at scale10, with the Amazon Prime Video partnership creating an unprecedented streaming-to-commerce pipeline11.
MLS: MLS dropped its Apple TV+ paywall entirely, opening all 510 games to ~45 million subscribers just as the 2026 FIFA World Cup arrives on U.S. soil12. MLS operates under a fundamentally different media model than any other major U.S. league. The centerpiece is the Apple TV partnership13. With all content now included in the base Apple TV+ subscription, MLS offers the cheapest entry point to the youngest and most Hispanic sports audience in America14. The paywall removal multiplies potential reach by an order of magnitude, and Apple's brand-safe, clutter-free environment commands strong attention metrics.
Ad Pricing Breakdown - Inclusive of Linear + Streaming (2026 Estimates)
| Metric | NFL | MLB | NBA | MLS |
| Championship ad cost (30s) | $8 - $10M (Super Bowl) | $465K – $625K (World Series) | ~$1.0M – $1.5M (NBA Finals) | ~$4M season package (Apple TV) |
| Playoff ad cost (30s) | $1.5 - $3M |
$60K – $150K (DS/LCS) | $117K – $157K | Included in season packages |
| Reg. season national | ~$800K+ (national); ~$1M (primetime) | Sold at $16–$45 CPM (broadcast) | $42K – $57K per spot | Sold as season packages (not per-spot) |
| Local/regional (30s) | $15K–$100K (local affiliate) | Varies by RSN/MLB Local Media | Varies by RSN | N/A (no local blackouts) |
Source: EDO, Simulmedia, ABC, Industry Reports.
A wealth of CTV buying options, all in one place
Sports fans aren’t loyal to any one streaming option. They follow the teams they support wherever those games, commentary and ancillary coverage are carried. Therefore advertisers should think holistically and align with the overarching sports viewing behaviors to reach fans in a variety of streaming spaces.
At Roku, the No. 1 streaming platform in North America, we have a vested interest in keeping pace with the rapidly evolving CTV ad- buying ecosystem. And we offer a variety of innovative solutions and ad opportunities, including live sports, original programming, sports talk, documentaries and more. We also offer League Partner Zones with the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NWSL.
The MVP (Most Valuable Platform) of our approach is the Roku Sports Zone. It’s a centralized hub that aggregates all our sports content into a single, simplified starting point. Our dedicated viewer base (fans on Roku subscribe to an average of 7 services to watch sports) often browses our available sports content here.
Another crucial opportunity for brands who want to reach a wide swath of sports fans is the Marquee Ad placement on the Roku Home Screen. Viewers see your message the moment they power on their devices, before they wade into their individual streaming options.
Roku viewers self-identify the sports and teams they want to watch, creating data-driven personalization and segmentation that makes it easier to match your ad with your target audience.
Simplifying sports streaming is difficult, but we’ve done it. For more information on how to cut through the clutter of CTV buying options, contact Roku. We can help you sort it all out and find the best bang for your CTV buck.
