Live Sports, Live Context: Why CTV Will Dominate the 2025 Upfronts

If you’re heading into this year’s Upfronts still clinging to linear TV budgets like it’s 2012, we have one word for you: streaming.

More specifically, live sports streaming.

According to eMarketer, digital viewership of live sports first surpassed traditional TV in 2023—and by 2025, that gap will grow dramatically, with 114 million digital viewers versus just 82 million on traditional TV. From the Super Bowl’s record-breaking viewership on Tubi, to March Madness slowly but surely warming up to streaming, to MLB’s growing presence on platforms like Amazon and Apple, and Peacock’s Olympic glow-up—the writing’s on the (stadium) wall: live sports is advertising’s next big arena.

And if you’re a digital advertiser preparing for Upfronts season, you can’t afford to sit on the sidelines.

The Upfronts Are Changing—Because the Audience Already Has

As Viant CMO Jon Schulz recently shared on LinkedIn, “Live content commands attention. Now, programmatic platforms like Viant are leveling the playing field—giving indie agencies and midmarket brands access to premium live inventory once reserved for only the biggest spenders.”

Live sports—once the exclusive playground of major sponsors and Fortune 500s—is now accessible programmatically on Connected TV (CTV) platforms through solutions like Viant’s Direct Access. Whether it’s college hoops, Thursday Night Football, or the Paris Olympics, the most engaging content on earth is shifting to streaming.

Tom Wolfe, Viant’s SVP of Marketing, also pointed out in a recent post that this year’s Upfronts and NewFronts will be the most important in a decade, driven by seismic shifts in identity, measurement and media fragmentation.

So what’s the thread tying Jon and Tom’s insights together?

It’s not just that live sports is big—it’s that it’s finally accessible, measurable, and contextually targetable for digital advertisers.

Live Sports: The MVP of Streaming in 2025

Let’s recap a few highlights from the CTV playbook over the past year:

• Super Bowl LIX drew 126 million viewers, with 13+ million watching just on Tubi. That’s a lot of eyeballs—and a lot of data.
  
• March Madness isn’t fully streamed yet, but it’s inching closer. With younger viewers 2x more likely to stream live sports, a full pivot to digital is only a matter of time.
  
• MLB saw streaming engagement surge, with fans logging 14.5 billion minutes watched on MLB.TV—a 14% jump from the previous year and a clear sign that baseball is thriving in the digital era.
  
• The Paris Olympics were streamed in real-time across NBCUniversal platforms, with 23.5 billion minutes of content consumed—up 40% from all previous Olympic Games combined.
  

Bottom line: streaming isn’t just a channel. It’s the channel for live sports.

What This Means for Advertisers at the 2025 Upfronts

In a world where cookies are crumbling and content is more fragmented than ever, relevance is the new precision. Jon said it best: “The advertising playbook is being rewritten in real time.”

Here’s how you win in this new playbook:

1. Context Is King (Especially in Live Moments)

Through Viant’s integration with IRIS.TV, advertisers can align their creative with the actual tone and content of the live programming on screen. Imagine targeting a passionate sports moment with a message that mirrors the energy—in real time.

It’s not just contextual advertising—it’s contextual relevance at scale.

2. Programmatic Levels the Playing Field

The Upfronts aren’t just for mega-brands anymore. With Viant’s Direct Access to premium inventory from partners, mid-market brands and indie agencies can finally show up on the biggest stages—without a Super Bowl-sized budget.

3. Measurement Is the New MVP

CTV delivers what linear never could:

• Deterministic reach and frequency
  
• Cross-device attribution
  
• Incremental lift analysis
  
• ROAS and iROAS in real time
  

Whether you’re tracking foot traffic, in-store conversions, or online engagement, CTV campaigns powered by Viant offer real outcomes—not just impressions.

Why Live Sports Will Be The Topic at Upfronts

If 2023 was about sustainability and 2024 was about identity, 2025 is the year of live content. And live sports is the crown jewel of that trend.

Here’s why this moment matters:

• The streaming wars are converging around premium live events.
  
• Viewership is shifting away from traditional cable, with CTV adoption in 85%+ of U.S. households.
  
• Brands want performance, personalization, and precision—and streaming sports checks every box.
  

And now, thanks to advances in contextual targeting, programmatic access, and real-time measurement, advertisers don’t have to choose between reach and relevance. You can have both.

Final Whistle: The Future of Advertising Is Live

If you’re an advertiser preparing for this year’s Upfronts, the question isn’t “should we invest in live sports?”
It’s: “How fast can we activate on CTV?”

At Viant, we believe the future isn’t just digital—it’s live, contextual, and outcome-driven.
Let’s play offense. The next big ad moment is already on the field.