Election Season Meets Sports Season: A Playbook for Winning with Live Sports Streaming
The reach of sports is undeniable. Fans make up a vast majority of Americans, even outnumbering registered voters, and every league bridges age, geography, and even party lines.
Live sports fans are diverse, highly engaged, and are a perfect match for campaigns looking to connect with voters in meaningful ways. With streaming becoming the go-to platform for how fans watch, campaigns that embrace live sports are positioning themselves where the action and attention are shifting.
Sports have become a powerful arena for political campaigns, and now they’re a part of our lineup. Our sports streaming offering puts your message live in-game, when attention is at its highest, and with the leagues that matter and align most with your campaign.
We sat down with Joel Sawyer, Account Executive and dedicated sports fanatic, to discuss this unique space for campaigns, how streaming is changing the game, and what a winning strategy looks like as we approach election season.
Q: How do the live sports streaming audiences compare to political ad audiences?
Joel: There is a huge overlap. There were 170M registered voters in the U.S. last year and 217M sports fans—that’s 84% of adults. If you’re not advertising in live sports, you’re missing a massive segment of potential voters.
Q: What trends should campaigns and brands be paying attention to in streaming?
Joel: Campaigns must jump on live entertainment. For the last few cycles, political campaigns have continued to capitalize on the live streaming trend. Some campaigns even spend more on streaming than traditional TV. This is where your audience is now, and you must work with a trusted advertising partner to reach them.
Q: Why is live sports streaming different from other digital platforms?
Joel: It really boils down to engagement. When voters are watching a live game, they’re not skipping, scrolling, or multitasking—they’re locked in on the biggest screen in the house. That’s premium real estate for campaign messaging. That level of engagement is exactly why campaigns should be advertising during live events.
Q: Are there seasons or events that should be prioritized?
Joel: Fall is huge for sports: NFL, NCAA football, MLB postseason, NASCAR, all happening right as campaigns hit persuasion and GOTV. Earlier in the year, March Madness overlaps with primaries. So that's perfect timing, depending on the race. Sports are year-round, and fans follow multiple leagues, so campaigns should be everywhere their audiences are.
Q: What’s the biggest lesson campaigns learned from 2024?
Joel: Transparency matters. Political campaigns want to know exactly where their ads are running—whether that’s actually in-game, or in surrounding sports content. Our approach makes that distinction clear, so campaigns have confidence that their ads are hitting in-game during live sports, when attention is at its highest.
Q: Elections sometimes feel like the Super Bowl. What would an election night halftime show look like?
Joel: But the way elections are covered already feels a bit like the Super Bowl, or a large sports broadcast: the drama, the coverage, the colorful maps and graphics updating live—it’s all there. Like sports, elections are destination viewing. People are glued to the screen, tracking every play. But, honestly, I hope we never see politicians performing a dance routine or diss track.
Q: How can campaigns use the real-time aspect of sports to connect with voters?
Joel: Sports continue to be a destination appointment viewing. Timing is everything. If the creative can align with the passion of the moment, it resonates more effectively. For example, tying content to a team or season—without pandering—can build instant relevance. It’s about showing up when voters are most engaged.
Q: If you could pick any sports commentator to cover a political race, who would it be?
Joel: Do they have to be alive? Because if not, Harry Caray, the famed Chicago Cubs broadcaster. “Holy Cow!” Can you imagine him calling election night after a few of his favorite brews—that’s must-see TV.
Q: What’s the big takeaway for campaigns?
Joel: Transparency and strategy equally. You need to know exactly when and where your ads are running. By using data like set-top box insights, we can see what else your audience is watching and help build a playbook that covers all the leagues and teams your voters care about.
Joel’s Playbook for Success
If your campaign doesn’t include live sports, you are missing voters. There is a huge overlap between sports fans and voters, and they are relying on live sports streaming more than ever before. Your campaign must reach them where they are.
Smart insights mean stronger campaigns. Through our parent company’s extensive reach, we leverage exclusive first-party data to inform and strengthen your strategy. For example, our internal insights show that Republicans and Democrats index equally for NFL viewership—proof that live sports unite fans across the aisle. This data helps us optimize your campaign to reach the voters that matter most.
Multi-sports fans are the norm. Ensure your campaign spans multiple sports and leagues. Our first-party data shows that NFL fans are often also fans of the NBA or MLB. Using these insights, we can further expand your reach by thinking across leagues.
Reporting transparency matters. With Optimum Media’s live sports streaming opportunities, you know exactly where you’re running, which is only in-game.
Live sports bring people together—often even across political lines. For campaigns, that’s the real win: tapping into shared passion to create memorable connections.
With our live sports streaming solution, your ads aren’t just on the largest screen in the house; they are a part of the moment. Reaching voters in real time ensures your message lands when audiences are most tuned in and fully engaged.
Ready to get your campaign in the game? Let’s build a strategy that includes live sports, putting your message in front of millions of voters—right where they’re watching, and when it matters most.