Operators Spent More on Ads Industry

Operators Spent More on Ads During Football Season

By Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer Updated: 08 January 2024

Amelia Walker Senior Content Writer

Amelia Walker is a Senior Content Writer at Betting.US. She has a law degree and deep knowledge of the gambling laws in the United States. Her mission is to keep players informed about responsible gambling, while her passion for sports helps her create useful guides. Amelia has over a decade of experience in betting, which has positioned her as a trusted voice among our readers.

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It has been reported that in the ongoing 2023/2024 football season, sportsbooks in the United States markedly increased their advertising expenditures.

There was a significant surge in television ad spending based on recent data. This comes as no surprise to many, as football is the most wagered-on sport in the nation, which leads to sports betting operators increasing their promotional activities.

According to EDO Ad EnGage, a research firm specializing in advertising analytics, the period from September 1 to December 26 saw a significant 10 percent jump in TV advertising spending by sportsbook operators, reaching an impressive $237.8 million. This was a significant increase compared to the same period last year.

However, EDO Ad EnGage’s report did not specify whether this increase was due to new market entrants like ESPN Bet and Fanatics, increased spending from established players such as DraftKings and FanDuel, or a combination of both.

Growth in Sports Gambling Impressions

Data shows that there was substantial growth in sports gambling impressions, which escalated by 52 percent to a total of 20.7 billion. This reflects a significant rise from the 13.6 billion recorded a year earlier.

This increase was primarily due to the number of airings, which more than doubled from 26,950 the previous year to 59,810 in the current period, as reported by Wayne Friedman for MediaPost. He said:

Sports gambling impressions were up 52% to a total of 20.7 billion — up from 13.6 billion a year ago, primarily due to airings more than doubling (to 59,81) versus 26,950 airings the year before.

The surge in advertising spend is thought to be largely down to football’s dominant position in the U.S. sports betting market. Several operators have been keen to promote specific betting formats, including in-game wagers and same-game parlays (SGPs), which have gained popularity among bettors.

Changes in Advertising Methods for Sports Betting

There have been some major changes in advertising methods when it comes to sports betting. In the past, traditional linear TV broadcasts of sports events and dedicated sports channels like ESPN have been conventional platforms for advertising.

However, there have been some big changes. For instance, Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football, a streaming service, made an estimated $41 million in ad revenue from sportsbook operators, which was a huge increase from $27.9 million the previous year.

There has also been a significant increase in sports betting ads on non-sports TV networks, including TBS, FXX, truTV, Discovery Life Channel, and American Heroes Channel.

It is reported that the ad spend distribution among networks has also seen some changes. Sportsbook operators reduced their spending on ESPN compared to the previous year. This change could be related to ABC broadcasting Monday Night Football and various high-profile college football games, as both networks are owned by Walt Disney Co.

In addition, networks like Fox and NBC, which broadcasts Sunday Night Football, also witnessed a decrease in ad spending from sportsbooks over the last four months. On the other hand, CBS continued to see impressive ad revenues from these operators.