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The year was 2003. Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California, Apple released iTunes, everyone’s friend Tom started MySpace, and March Madness was streamed online for the first time. The 2003 deal was between CBS and Yahoo! to stream the first 3 rounds of the tournament as part of the Yahoo! Platinum service for $16.95 a month1. Two years later, the NCAA announced that March Madness 2006 would be streamed free of charge on NCAAsports.com2.
Fast forward a mere 16 years and we now see that not only are people streaming March Madness, but the streaming viewership is beginning to eclipse those watching the tournament on TV.
During the 2021 NCAA tournament, streaming audiences reach increased by over 85% from the 2019 tournament (2020 was canceled due to Covid19). On the other side, TV reach among adults 18+ declined by 24%.3
So what does this mean for advertisers? Cue the sports analogies. The best way to win in the game is to have a full-court press when it comes to your advertising strategy. Gone are the days that you can just run an ad on TV and reach everyone at once. Combining OTT and Cable TV advertising is a slam dunk to expand your reach. A strong bench will also be crucial to reaching your audience during March Madness. Adding in things like Pre-roll, Display, and Audio will ensure that you are communicating with your customers throughout the tournament in a multitude of ways.
Want to learn more about how Viamedia can help you with a game-winning strategy? Click here to get in contact with an advertising expert.
Liza Goldenberg
Director of Vendor Relations- https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/yahoo-unveils-platinum-paid-service/
- http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/PressArchive/2005/Corporate%2BNews/NCAA%2BMarch%2BMadness%2Bon%2BDemand%2Bto%2Bbe%2BOffered%2BFree%2Bof%2BCharge%2Bon%2BNcaasports%2Bdot%2Bcom%2BPowered%2Bby%2BCBS%2BSportsline%2Bdot%2Bcom.html
- https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/about-25-of-viewers-who-watched-march-madness-on-linear-tv-in-2019-switched-to-streaming-it-this-year/
Mar 11, 2022
Topics: march madness, college basketball, Marketing Insights, digital advertising
Written by Liza Goldenberg, Product Development & Vendor Relations
With over 9 years of media experience, from digital operations to strategy, Liza's knowledge and passion of all things digital make her a strategic powerhouse. As head of Vendor Relations, Liza is responsible for collaborating with our media vendors and developing product strategy. When she's not analyzing or conceptualizing, she is bingeing on the her latest netflix obsession or shopping (online of course).
