How to harness the promise of linear streaming
Opinion
As more live sports move to streaming, media companies must sell advertising against their content across different platforms in a unified way that combines the upfront, premium process of linear with the dynamic execution of digital.
In 2024, the Uefa Euro final matches were the most streamed programmes in the UK — higher even than the Paris Olympics. Research shows that one-third of viewers would have watched the games on streaming, up significantly from just a few years earlier.
Media companies are facing an unprecedented switch from traditional TV as viewers embrace the flexibility and freedom of streaming. For many years, entrenched media companies viewed streaming as a distant threat as digital companies including Amazon and Netflix competed on the margins, mostly with a trove of movies and original serial shows. However, recently, these big streamers have been making moves to gain the rights for the crown jewel of TV content: live sports.
In the US, both Amazon and Netflix have rights to air NFL and NBA games, including two games on Christmas Day that set records for Netflix. In addition to these major contracts, many longer-tail live sport franchises are going the streaming route, including football franchises Ligue 1 and Serie A, which are developing their own streaming platform.
When live sports move to streaming, media companies are faced with a new challenge: selling advertising against their premium content across different platforms in a unified way. This strategy combines the upfront, premium process of linear with the dynamic execution of digital.
A unified strategy
Advertiser demand for premium live inventory is following audiences over to streaming. This means media companies need multichannel execution, from proposal to delivery to reporting. Media companies can manage this inventory by adopting a hybrid approach.
Unify product, pricing and sales proposals: Advertisers want to reach one audience and they are less concerned about the platform those audiences are using. Media companies with separate processes and data supporting streaming and traditional media sales will find that they are unable to deliver the unified proposals that brands are looking for.
By consolidating their businesses, media companies can provide a single, streamlined offering to advertisers as well as save their sales teams time and trouble.
Streamline workflows for optimised delivery: Live linear workflows need to include the dynamic and automated elements of digital to satisfy a variety of advertiser and media company needs. For example, one revenue management system can achieve several things:
- Reduce manual work and eliminate duplicate data entry
- Automate operations across traditional and streaming
- Optimise delivery and forecast volume accurately
Unlock new revenue opportunities: Streamlined workflows are also an effective way for media companies to get a single view of their demand, providing an opportunity to improve sales strategies, pricing strategies and optimisation opportunities, and delivery to maximise yield.
Having all product, pricing and advertising data in one place enables improved forecasting, strategic analysis and competitive positioning. Media companies can also get a clear picture of the growth of their streaming business in direct contrast to their still substantial traditional TV business.
Those with automated, unified advertising businesses are also in a better position to innovate and offer creative products to advertisers. New ad formats, targeting and other digitally enabled products can be tested without taxing delivery teams and delivered in a way that is easy to compare and measure.
With a hybrid advertising foundation, media companies are more prepared to strengthen their position in streaming as they continue to sustain their established TV businesses.
Ben Tatta is chief commercial officer at Operative