FanDuel Sports Network sees 25% streaming ad growth

FanDuel Sports Network has achieved a 25% year-over-year increase in total impressions served through Magnite's SpringServe video platform, according to an announcement made on July 30, 2025. The growth occurred across FanDuel Sports Network's streaming infrastructure as the network accelerated investment in live sports streaming capabilities. The partnership demonstrates significant momentum in live sports streaming monetization as traditional viewing habits continue their digital transformation.

The sports network, owned by Main Street Sports Group, operates 15 regional networks covering MLB, NHL, and NBA teams across multiple markets. Through Magnite's advertising technology, FanDuel Sports Network has enhanced its ability to manage both direct and programmatic demand while maintaining the viewing experience that live sports audiences expect.

SpringServe's advanced ad serving capabilities provide sophisticated programmatic mediation and yield optimization tools. The platform incorporates Ad Quality and Live Stream Acceleration features designed to deliver more relevant advertising experiences during live sports broadcasts, addressing the unique technical challenges that streaming sports content presents.

"Live sports are one of the most powerful formats for engaging audiences, but they also present unique monetization challenges," said Kevin Connelly, Senior Director, Programmatic Sales and Business Development at FanDuel Sports Network. The technology enables the network to maximize advertiser reach while preserving broadcast quality standards that sports fans demand.

Technical infrastructure drives streaming growth

The SpringServe platform operates through integrated ad serving, programmatic buying, and mediation systems that optimize revenue generation across multiple demand sources. Jim Keller, Executive Vice President, Head of Advertising and Sponsorship Sales at FanDuel Sports Network, emphasized the platform's technical capabilities: "FanDuel Sports Network is building a smarter, fan-first platform with unmatched scale and flexibility, and that requires ad tech partners who can move just as fast."

Magnite's infrastructure addresses the specific technical requirements of live sports streaming, where audience engagement peaks during scheduled events and advertising delivery must maintain broadcast-quality standards. Chris Signore, Group VP, Business Development at Magnite, highlighted the streaming-focused design: "Publishers need agile infrastructure purpose-built for streaming monetization."

The technology platform enables FanDuel Sports Network to capitalize on what eMarketer projects as a 14% growth in digital live sports viewership during 2025. This expansion reflects broader cord-cutting trends that have established streaming as the primary destination for sports consumption among younger demographics.

Advertiser demand validates streaming sports approach

Gary Guarnaccia, Head of Investment and Ad Tech at Bayer Healthcare, provided third-party validation of the partnership's effectiveness: "FanDuel Sports Network and Magnite have demonstrated through their collaboration that when biddable live sports is done right, we consistently see media contribute to positive business outcomes."

The advertiser perspective underscores the value proposition that programmatic sports advertising provides. Bayer Healthcare's emphasis on "high-quality and direct supply" reflects the premium inventory standards that live sports content delivers compared to other streaming categories.

FanDuel Sports Network's streaming success occurs within a broader industry transformation. Connected TV advertising has seen substantial growth, with media budgets projected to double from 14% in 2023 to 28% in 2025 according to industry data. This shift represents traditional television advertising allocation moving toward streaming platforms.

Platform expansion demonstrates subscriber momentum

The advertising technology gains complement FanDuel Sports Network's direct-to-consumer growth metrics. The platform reported doubling its paid subscriber base within eight weeks during May 2025, approaching 650,000 paid subscribers with projections to reach one million by year-end.

Streaming engagement data reveals average watch-time per game increased to 92.5 minutes, representing a 9% year-over-year improvement. The network accumulated over 820 million streaming minutes during April 2025, marking a 79% annual increase in consumption.

The subscriber demographics show significant generational differences from traditional cable audiences. FanDuel Sports Network's streaming viewers average 12 years younger than cable viewers, indicating successful capture of cord-never audiences that represent incremental growth rather than platform migration.

David Preschlack, CEO of Main Street Sports Group, outlined the strategic vision: "We're progressing on our mission to reinvent the local sports media landscape by delivering a new standard for teams and their hometown fans, while also elevating the visibility of our team partners."

Industry context validates streaming advertising strategy

The FanDuel Sports Network-Magnite partnership aligns with broader streaming advertising developments across the industry. Major streaming platforms have integrated programmatic capabilities to address advertiser demands for automated buying processes and enhanced targeting options.

Magnite has established similar partnerships globally, including recent arrangements with Paramount Australia and Sky New Zealand for sports streaming advertising. These international implementations demonstrate the scalability of programmatic sports advertising technology across different markets.

The SpringServe technology platform represents Magnite's unified approach to streaming advertising, combining ad serving and programmatic capabilities that previously required separate systems. This integration eliminates supply chain redundancies while providing publishers with enhanced workflow management tools.

Live sports streaming creates premium advertising environment

Live sports content provides unique advantages for streaming advertising compared to on-demand programming. The simultaneous large audiences that live events generate represent increasingly rare opportunities in the fragmented streaming landscape where individual viewing sessions typically involve smaller audience segments.

The real-time nature of live sports creates advertising environments that more closely resemble traditional television broadcast models while incorporating the targeting and measurement capabilities that digital platforms provide. This combination addresses advertiser preferences for premium content environments with enhanced attribution capabilities.

Michael Schneider, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of DTC at Main Street Sports Group, emphasized the data advantages: "Our ability to move fast and own the full subscriber journey gives us unmatched efficiency in acquiring DTC subscribers and harnessing viewership data to better understand and acquire more of these younger, local sports fans at scale."

The advertising technology integration supports FanDuel Sports Network's broader distribution strategy, which includes partnerships with Amazon Prime Video, traditional cable and satellite providers, and TV Everywhere capabilities that extend content access across multiple viewing environments.

Market positioning strengthens through technology partnerships

The Magnite partnership positions FanDuel Sports Network within the expanding ecosystem of programmatic streaming advertising. Industry reports indicate that 47% of connected television inventory is expected to become biddable, representing substantial growth from previous programmatic adoption levels.

FanDuel Sports Network's regional approach differs from national sports networks by focusing on local team coverage across 15 owned-and-operated networks. This geographic specificity enables more targeted advertising approaches that align with local market preferences and advertiser requirements.

The network's content production capabilities include over 3,000 live sports events annually, providing consistent inventory for advertisers throughout multiple sports seasons. This volume creates operational efficiency advantages for programmatic advertising systems that perform optimally with regular inventory availability.

The technical infrastructure supporting the Magnite partnership enables FanDuel Sports Network to compete more effectively against larger national sports networks by providing comparable advertising technology capabilities while maintaining its local market focus and direct-to-consumer accessibility advantages.

Timeline

• July 30, 2025: Magnite announces 25% year-over-year growth in FanDuel Sports Network impressions
• May 5, 2025: FanDuel Sports Network doubles subscriber base to 650,000 paid subscribers in eight weeks
• January 2025: Industry data shows 72% of marketers increasing programmatic investment
• 2024: Connected TV advertising adoption accelerates across streaming platforms

Summary

Who: FanDuel Sports Network, owned by Main Street Sports Group, partnered with Magnite, the largest independent sell-side advertising company, to enhance live sports streaming monetization.

What: FanDuel Sports Network achieved a 25% year-over-year increase in total impressions served through Magnite's SpringServe video platform, demonstrating successful integration of programmatic advertising technology with live sports streaming content.

When: The results were announced on July 30, 2025, reflecting performance gains throughout the streaming platform's operational period as digital live sports viewership continues expanding.

Where: The partnership operates across FanDuel Sports Network's 15 owned-and-operated regional networks covering MLB, NHL, and NBA teams, with streaming distribution spanning multiple connected television platforms and devices.

Why: The collaboration addresses the unique monetization challenges that live sports streaming presents while capitalizing on the projected 14% growth in digital live sports viewership during 2025, as cord-cutting trends establish streaming as the primary sports consumption method for younger demographics.

Key Terms and Definitions

Programmatic Advertising: Automated buying and selling of advertising inventory through real-time bidding systems that eliminate manual negotiations. This technology enables advertisers to purchase ad placements across multiple platforms using algorithms that optimize targeting and campaign performance through data-driven decision making, representing a fundamental shift from traditional media buying processes.

SpringServe Platform: Magnite's unified video advertising technology that combines ad serving, programmatic mediation, and yield optimization capabilities specifically designed for streaming environments. The platform addresses the technical complexities of live sports streaming by integrating Ad Quality and Live Stream Acceleration tools that maintain broadcast standards while maximizing revenue generation across multiple demand sources.

Connected Television (CTV): Internet-connected television devices that deliver streaming content through broadband connections rather than traditional broadcast or cable infrastructure. CTV encompasses smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles that enable targeted advertising delivery with digital measurement capabilities, creating premium viewing environments that combine television's reach with digital advertising's precision.

Live Sports Streaming: Real-time delivery of sporting events through internet-based platforms that create simultaneous large audiences increasingly rare in fragmented streaming landscapes. This content category presents unique technical challenges for advertising delivery due to audience engagement peaks during scheduled events and the requirement to maintain broadcast-quality standards throughout live transmission.

Direct-to-Consumer (DTC): Business model enabling content providers to deliver programming directly to viewers through proprietary streaming platforms without traditional cable or satellite intermediaries. DTC strategies provide complete control over subscriber relationships, pricing structures, and viewing data while creating new revenue opportunities through subscription fees and targeted advertising.

Yield Optimization: Revenue maximization techniques that dynamically adjust advertising inventory pricing based on real-time demand patterns and audience characteristics. These systems analyze multiple demand sources simultaneously to ensure publishers receive optimal pricing for their advertising inventory while maintaining advertiser access to premium content environments and engaged audiences.

Ad Serving Technology: Infrastructure systems that deliver, track, and optimize digital advertisements across multiple platforms and devices. Modern ad serving platforms incorporate real-time bidding capabilities, audience targeting features, and performance measurement tools that enable precise campaign management while maintaining the technical quality requirements of premium streaming content.

Streaming Monetization: Revenue generation strategies specifically designed for internet-delivered video content that combine subscription fees, advertising revenue, and data insights. Effective streaming monetization requires sophisticated technology platforms that balance viewer experience with advertiser objectives while providing measurement capabilities that demonstrate campaign effectiveness and audience engagement.

Regional Sports Networks: Localized television channels that focus on professional and collegiate sports teams within specific geographic markets. These networks provide targeted content that appeals to hometown fan bases while offering advertisers access to highly engaged local audiences, creating premium inventory opportunities for brands seeking geographic market penetration.

Cord-Cutting Trends: Consumer behavior shifts away from traditional cable and satellite television subscriptions toward streaming services and internet-delivered content. This demographic transformation particularly affects younger audiences who increasingly prefer on-demand viewing options and personalized content experiences, creating new advertising opportunities while challenging traditional television business models.