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The Case for Precision in Sports Media Measurement

Measurement Mavens is a thought leadership series from iSpot that celebrates TV measurement trailblazers, covering everything from creative success and streaming outcomes to currency and full-funnel performance.


Live sports remain the most powerful TV content genre for brands to deliver ad messages to engaged and growing audiences. Despite major shifts in overall TV viewership, events like the Super Bowl and the NBA Playoffs continue to set record ratings. More than 900 billion ad impressions were generated by sports content in the past year alone, accounting for 14% of all national linear TV ad impressions. 

However, the unique viewing patterns of live sports causes volatility in audience delivery throughout a game. Traditional metrics like Average Commercial Minute Audience (ACM) no longer suffice to capture the real-time fluctuations and cross-platform nature of modern sports viewership.

Achieving more efficient transactions amid fragmented audiences and diverse viewing platforms calls for precise, second-by-second sports media measurement.

In his Measurement Mavens interview, iSpot Vice President of Sports Research & Insights, David Coletti, discusses innovative approaches to media measurement, the thrill of discovering insights that drive business decisions, and the need to adapt to the evolving sports viewership landscape.

Every Second Counts: The Case for Precision in Modern Sports Measurement, authored by David Coletti, addresses this challenge head-on using second-by-second ad data from iSpot. In this research paper, Coletti explores the evolution of sports media and the crucial need for precise measurement, shaped by significant shifts in audience behaviors and the viewing dynamics unique to live sports.

Download Every Second Counts to uncover the methodologies, data, and key insights that will help the sports media ecosystem transact in a more informed manner.