Game On: Spectrum Reach on Unlocking Live Sports for Every Advertiser

Live sports are one of the few remaining appointment-viewing experiences on TV, when audiences make a point to watch live at the time of broadcast. As fans turn to both streaming and traditional TV to watch live sports, the advertising playing field has shifted, and advertisers of all sizes are seeking efficient ways to reach these valuable viewers, wherever they watch. By combining extensive live inventory, effective programmatic strategies, and Magnite technology, Spectrum Reach is helping to meet those advertiser demands.

In this Q&A, we sat down with Pete Hopkins, Senior Director, Business Development & Partnerships at Spectrum Reach, to explore how live sports advertising is evolving and what it means for advertisers today.

How has streaming changed live sports advertising, and what role does Magnite play in that shift?

Live sports have always been a powerful environment for advertisers – premium, communal, and proven to drive results. What’s changed is how fans watch. Increasingly, they’re streaming live sports on connected devices, such as Spectrum’s Xumo Stream Box.

For Spectrum Reach, that shift means ensuring live sports – from the NBA and NFL to college football and basketball – are accessible to advertisers of all sizes. Programmatic technology, powered through our collaboration with Magnite, plays a key role in unifying access to sports inventory across local, regional, and national platforms. One ad in an NFL game can rival dozens of ads elsewhere, giving advertisers an unmatched opportunity to connect with high-value audiences where passion and performance meet.

Magnite’s technology bridges traditional TV and digital, giving advertisers seamless, automated access to Spectrum’s live sports inventory, enabling programmatic bidding on individual impressions with centralized planning across both. The result is faster activation, greater flexibility, and the ability for brands to engage around marquee events in near real time (instead of weeks) — backed by Spectrum Reach’s scale, transparency and high-fidelity, privacy-focused first-party data. We can deliver authentic brand-to-fan connections with greater efficiency and transparency.

What has this meant for your ad partners and your ability to attract more advertisers?

Spectrum Reach has long been a leader in bringing ad inventory for live sports to advertisers of all sizes, and that leadership continues as streaming becomes a critical source of premium inventory. We‘re a national leader in streaming. The Spectrum TV App is the most viewed streaming service in the U.S. on an hours-per-household basis.* Today, live sports attract both national brands and local advertisers eager to engage sports fans in premium environments. With programmatic access, we’ve made live sports advertising even more accessible, lowering barriers and opening the door for advertisers of all sizes.

Since launching with Magnite, we’ve seen even more unique advertisers and domains transacting across our live sports inventory. That growth reflects a more diverse, transparent, and flexible marketplace, one that delivers measurable results for every campaign. We’ve seen national and local advertisers who have partnered with us for a single live sporting event evolve into year-round partners, expanding across multiple sports and campaigns as performance and transparency delivered stronger outcomes for their media spends.

*Comscore CTV Intelligence Report 2022 through July 2025, U.S. Statement based on measurement of Average Hours Per HH per Month for Spectrum TV App vs. top streaming providers as measured on connected TVs, gaming consoles and streaming devices.

What makes working with SMBs so central to Spectrum Reach? And what kinds of advertisers are finding success?

Our foundation was built on helping small and medium-sized businesses grow in their communities. Today, technology has leveled the playing field. Advertising during live sports – once thought to be reserved for big brands with big budgets – is now more accessible to SMBs, giving them a premium, high-impact platform to compete and to reach consumers in those moments that matter through live sports.

National brands across categories, like financial services, retail, travel, CPG, and grocery, as well as local advertisers, from auto dealers and tourism boards to credit unions, colleges, and home service providers, are tapping into the same premium environments. Thousands of ad domains have run campaigns through Spectrum Reach and Magnite, underscoring the strength of our partnership and the opportunity for brands of every size to reach passionate sports audiences.

How do you see programmatic changing the way local and regional businesses think about TV advertising?

Programmatic is breaking down barriers in TV advertising. Local and regional advertisers who once bought through managed services are now increasingly using DSPs to manage TV alongside digital, social, and search.

The result is greater transparency, flexibility, and real-time optimization toward their KPIs. For Spectrum Reach, it means new conversations, stronger partnerships, and deeper collaboration with agencies at every level.

And while programmatic adoption continues to grow, managed service remains very much alive at Spectrum Reach. We’re built to meet the market where it is, offering buyers flexibility to transact however they choose, whether through our managed service, programmatically, or via trusted partners like Magnite.

What advice would you give to advertisers—especially SMBs—who are considering entering this space?

1. Choose the right DSP. Pick a platform that aligns with your campaign goals and provides the flexibility you need.
2. Leverage your SSP and Publishing partners. Platforms and Publishers like Magnite and Spectrum Reach can help you curate the right deals and optimize performance.
3. Prioritize transparency. At Spectrum Reach, we can provide channel, network, and program-level detail in a privacy-focused manner, so programmatic advertisers know exactly where their ads ran. That accountability builds trust and proves performance.

Right now, the energy around live sports is unmatched. It’s where fans are fully engaged and watching in real time. That creates a premium environment where brands get noticed; messages stick, and campaigns deliver real impact for advertisers of every size.