American football is one of the most powerful sports for advertisers, drawing an average of 17.5 million viewers per regular-season game. But today’s fans aren’t just watching on one screen. They’re streaming, scrolling, betting, and sharing—often all at once—creating a dynamic ecosystem of limitless opportunities for your brand.
Case in point: Nearly half (49%) of NFL viewers use two or more screens while watching, according to YouGov. That means the ad you place on a connected TV (CTV) broadcast might immediately drive fans to social media, a fashion ecommerce website, a food delivery app or even a betting platform.
For advertisers, this active participation is promising, but also a challenge. Fragmentation across broadcasters and platforms means there’s no single buy that guarantees mass coverage. But with the right mix of CTV, programmatic and social, brands can follow fans wherever they are.
From fragmentation to personalisation
Media fragmentation, however, has also fueled innovation, giving rise to alternative broadcasts and interactive experiences that appeal to different segments of the fanbase. This diversification means campaigns can be tailored to the way fans actually want to consume the game.
Football’s year-round engagement cycle
NFL fandom extends well beyond the broadcast, too. Millions of fans interact with the league daily through fantasy football, betting apps, TikTok highlights, podcasts and athlete’s personal channels. This creates countless touchpoints across the week, turning football into a constant engagement cycle rather than a three-hour event.
What’s next for advertising in football
The way to win in football has changed. Success now depends on flexible, multi-channel strategies that move with the fan.
The NFL Kickoff Playbook explores these shifts in depth, offering exclusive insights into fan behaviour, media consumption and the creative formats reshaping football advertising.
Get your copy of the American Football Kickoff Playbook, where you’ll find a roadmap for:
- Reaching fans throughout the year, A/B testing early in the season to boost ROI during the playoffs
- Using real-time data to stay relevant and active during football’s most attention-grabbing moments
- Experimenting with ad formats that are not only memorable, but collects privacy-safe first-party data
Whether you’re building awareness or driving conversions, you’ll find tactical insights to activate smarter across connected TV, social and digital buys.
