AdGrowthWeekly | Issue No. 50

The Bundesliga is betting bigger on the U.S., and its new media deals are set to put the league in front of more American viewers than ever before. Beginning with the 2026-27 season, more than 300 live Bundesliga matches will air each year across USA Network and Fandango's free streaming platform, with at least 30 of the league's biggest matchups featured on linear television. Spanish language coverage is expanding too, with more than 100 matches airing on Telemundo and Universo each season, while every game will stream on Peacock. The timing reflects the league's growing momentum in the U.S., where its fan base has climbed 43% over the past five years. Under the five year agreement, which runs through the 2030-31 season, USA Sports also expects to deliver more than 1,000 hours of live soccer programming during the 2026-27 season. For broadcasters and advertisers alike, it's another sign that demand for international soccer continues to grow, creating more opportunities to reach highly engaged audiences across both linear TV and streaming.

The promise of Connected TV has always been precision, but new research suggests that many campaigns are falling short of that goal. A joint study from InterMedia Advertising and Adstra, featured in ADWEEK, found that only 23% of residential IP addresses accurately reached their intended geographic target using traditional downstream IP mapping. That leaves nearly three out of every four IP-based CTV impressions tied to the wrong location. The study also found that device-level CTV identifiers maintained a 71% month-over-month connection to the same person, compared with 57% for IP addresses, making them 24% more stable for identity resolution. As advertisers invest more in CTV, the findings underscore a simple reality: the quality of the data behind a campaign matters just as much as the media itself. Better identity signals can lead to more accurate targeting, stronger measurement, and less wasted ad spend.

FOX Sports isn't just winning viewers with World Cup matches. It's also building an audience around everything happening between the whistles. The network's studio team featuring Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thierry Henry, Rebecca Lowe, and Alexi Lalas has become a major part of the viewing experience, delivering viral moments and sharp analysis that keep fans watching before kickoff, at halftime, and long after the final whistle. That approach is paying off. All four World Cup quarterfinals set new U.S. English-language audience records, averaging 15.64 million viewers, a 150% increase over the 2022 tournament. After investing $485 million for the English-language rights to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FOX is proving that great live sports coverage goes beyond the game itself. The right talent and compelling studio programming can turn a broadcast into an all-day event, creating more opportunities to keep viewers engaged and advertisers in front of highly attentive audiences.

Netflix built its business around giving viewers the freedom to watch what they want, whenever they want. Now, the streaming giant is looking at ways to make the experience feel a little more like traditional TV. The company is exploring live TV channels, programming bundles, and more live events as it looks to keep audiences watching longer. The shift comes as Netflix surpasses 325 million subscribers worldwide, while its share of total U.S. TV viewing dipped to 7.8% in April, the lowest level in nearly a year. With advertising revenue expected to double in 2026, every extra minute viewers spend on the platform has become increasingly valuable. It's another sign that the streaming race has entered a new phase. The biggest players aren't just fighting to add subscribers anymore. They're competing to become a bigger part of viewers' everyday habits.