Nielsen ratings found 93 of 2023’s 100 most-watched TV broadcasts were NFL games, an improvement from the 82 spots NFL games had last year and a sign that live sports are eclipsing news and other broadcast programming.
By the Numbers:
The Bottom Line: What do these ratings have to do with campaigns? As more and more content moves to on-demand and streaming, live sports are attracting larger audiences. A majority of these games are on broadcast networks, not cable. Why does this matter? Campaigns must be smart and nimble when it comes to TV advertising. Broadcast is still the medium that reaches the most voters at the same time, but live sports may prove to have a better ROI in some races compared to live news and other programming. Live sports games have a larger audience and the added benefit of no fast-forward option, which forces viewers to sit through ads. Campaigns that look at these changing audiences and opportunities can give themselves an advantage against opponents that don’t evolve.
