The unpredictable, electrifying moments of live sports have long represented both the ultimate prize and the greatest challenge for advertisers seeking to connect with audiences in real time. For years, the ad buying process for these premium events remained largely traditional, requiring advance commitments and offering little flexibility. Streaming giant Paramount has now decisively broken from this model by rolling out real-time programmatic ad buying for its live sports content. The company announced it is offering guaranteed, in-game programmatic placements during high-demand events, an initiative that officially launched with the highly anticipated UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett on Paramount+. This move signals a pivotal shift, bringing the precision and automation of programmatic advertising to one of the last bastions of direct ad sales. For marketers, this development opens a new frontier of opportunity, blending the massive scale of live viewership with the dynamic capabilities of digital media buying.
1. The Dawn of Programmatic in Live Sports
Advertisers can now secure premium ad slots during live sporting events on Paramount+ through sophisticated real-time programmatic purchasing, a capability that fundamentally changes the dynamics of media buying for these events. The new offering, which premiered with UFC programming, includes biddable ad inventory for all numbered event prelims and Fight Nights within the United States. This inventory is accessible through a private marketplace, ensuring a controlled and premium environment for brands. To facilitate this technologically advanced ad delivery system, Paramount has forged strategic partnerships with leading demand-side platforms (DSPs), including Amazon DSP, Google Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo DSP. These powerful integrations empower brands and agencies to dynamically bid on available ad inventory, allowing them to reach viewers precisely as the action unfolds on screen, a level of immediacy that was previously unattainable in this space.
This expansion into programmatic buying complements Paramount’s existing ad sales structure, creating a dual-pathway system for advertisers. The main cards of major UFC numbered events, for instance, remain exclusively available through Paramount’s Streaming Fixed Units. These high-impact slots are sold directly to advertisers, guaranteeing placement during the most-watched segments of an event, such as within the first seven days of a major new series premiere like Landman or Tulsa King. With the rollout for UFC, marketers are now presented with two distinct and strategic options: the Streaming Fixed Units for reserved, high-profile inventory secured through direct deals, and the new Programmatic Live Ads for real-time, biddable inventory during live events, accessible via the private marketplace. Jay Askinasi, Chief Revenue Officer at Paramount, highlighted that this move underscores the company’s commitment to modernizing media by enabling advertisers to be present during the “biggest and buzziest moments of scaled audience attention.”
2. A Strategic Imperative for Marketers
The integration of programmatic capabilities into the high-stakes environment of live sports represents a significant strategic advantage for marketers, unlocking unprecedented levels of targeting, speed, and flexibility. This evolution addresses a long-standing challenge in sports advertising, allowing brands to respond to in-the-moment events during live broadcasts without the need for pre-buying inventory months in advance. Such agility is crucial for campaigns designed to capitalize on specific game outcomes, unexpected player performances, or the cultural buzz that invariably surrounds major sporting events. Furthermore, this new model introduces a unique hybrid of predictability and adaptability. By offering guaranteed ad slots through a programmatic framework, Paramount provides the assurance of placement—a rarity in the volatile live environment—while retaining the flexibility inherent in automated bidding, a combination that offers the best of both worlds for media planners.
This development is also critically important for brands aiming to connect with highly engaged, and often elusive, audience segments. The viewership for properties like the UFC, for example, skews younger and is predominantly mobile-first, representing a demographic that is increasingly tuning out of traditional linear television. By tapping into these live moments programmatically, marketers can capture the undivided attention of these hard-to-reach consumers in an environment where they are most receptive. Paramount is not alone in this strategic pivot; other major media players have recognized the immense potential of this model. NBCUniversal notably introduced programmatic advertising for the Olympics in 2024, while both Disney and Prime Video are actively expanding their own biddable live ad formats. Paramount’s entry into this space confirms that programmatic live sports advertising is not merely an experiment but a durable trend that is reshaping the industry.
3. A New Playbook for Live Content
The key to navigating Paramount’s latest programmatic offering successfully lies in understanding its dual-inventory structure. Live sports advertising on the platform is now bifurcated into two distinct categories: Streaming Fixed Units, which are premium, pre-booked slots sold directly, and the new biddable ad slots available programmatically during live events. Marketers must first analyze their campaign objectives and creative assets to determine which format is the most appropriate fit. A brand launching a major new product might opt for a fixed unit to guarantee maximum exposure, while a brand running a reactive, moment-based campaign would be better served by the flexibility of the programmatic marketplace. This strategic decision will directly influence budget allocation, creative development, and overall campaign performance, making it the foundational first step for any brand entering this new advertising ecosystem.
Another critical consideration for marketers is the need to adapt creative assets to be contextually relevant to the live-action environment. A generic, pre-produced ad may feel out of place when inserted into the middle of a tense fight or a crucial match. The true power of programmatic in live sports is unlocked through dynamic creative optimization, where messaging can be aligned with real-time events. This requires planning for a suite of creative variations that can be deployed based on game-time triggers. Simultaneously, with multiple major DSPs in play—including Amazon DSP, DV360, The Trade Desk, and Yahoo—it is essential to test and optimize campaigns across different platforms. Each DSP may offer unique advantages in terms of audience reach, bidding efficiency, and data integration. Running A/B tests to determine which platform delivers the best return on ad spend will be crucial for maximizing campaign effectiveness and ensuring long-term success.
The Future of Media Planning
Paramount’s strategic move to integrate programmatic advertising into its live sports offerings signaled a definitive shift in the media landscape. The initiative successfully bridged the long-standing gap between the broad-reach power of traditional broadcast and the precision-driven flexibility of digital advertising. This created a new hybrid model that provided marketers with a rare opportunity to engage audiences in real time without sacrificing strategic control or placement guarantees. For media planners and brand strategists, the introduction of this capability required a fundamental reassessment of their approach to live content. The campaigns that thrived in this new environment were those built for speed, relevance, and data-informed precision, demonstrating that the future of live event advertising had arrived. This evolution ultimately unlocked significant value for brands that were prepared to adapt their creative and media buying strategies to capitalize on the immediacy of the moment.
