Roku’s Caitlin McDonough: Sports Fandom is Growing at the Edges

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As sports continues to shift from linear TV to streaming, the viewing experience has also expanded well beyond the live game. Highlights, pregame analysis, podcasts, creator content, and documentary series now command as much fan attention as the match itself. To keep up with those changes, Roku is building the infrastructure to help brands follow that audience across the full journey. “Fandom has changed for so many fans out there. It’s not just about watching the live game anymore, it’s

Yeah, these destinations are an effective way for brands to connect with sports fans because fandom has changed for so many fans out there. It’s not just about watching the live game anymore, it’s about the pre-game, the highlights, the post game after. And we find with sports rights all over the map across many streaming services, it’s really confusing to find what game to watch. I know in my household we’re big Yankees fans and across MLB, it’s sometimes difficult to find where the game, where you could stream it each night. Um, and that’s why Roku created their zones.

So we know that 60% of fans are having trouble finding the games and we have these one-stop destinations, which is really a hub that aggregates all of that content together, the live game, the highlights, the post game, the clips, all of the stuff that the fans look for, and it’s in that one destination. Uh, brands like Geico are sponsoring it across MLB, State Farm across women’s sports, and Burger King across college football.

From a brand perspective, it’s really important for them to align with a certain league or fandom and then create that value exchange. So they’re unlocking this aggregated hub for the viewer, creating that beautiful value exchange between the two. And they’re able to follow the viewer across the full streaming journey and not just be a part of the one live game.

Caitlin, let’s dive in a bit more to that value exchange. How do tent poll and moment-based activations help brands stand out during high attention sporting events?

Yeah, tent pole moments create concentrated attention, but the real opportunity is the discovery before, the engagement during and the follow-up after. We saw that this summer with the World Cup, one of the biggest events we’ve had in a while in sports history, and the Roku soccer zone was actually the number one destination for viewers to watch the games and the matches this summer. That’s crazy, right? So if you think about it, out of all the places to watch the games, Roku was that lead in. Neilson actually told us that one third of viewership came through the Roku’s front door.

So that’s not just a one-time spike either. That’s for all the games across the full World Cup the whole summer. So for brands, it’s a great moment to be a part of that full journey, and it’s really because Roku is a habit. It’s not just a one-time hit. We find that 25 days on average, folks come to Roku. So brands can continue to follow them and build that brand loyalty throughout their whole streaming journey and their sports fandom.

Caitlin, what other trends are you are you seeing in terms of the ways that sports fandom is is changing due to the the shift to streaming?

Yeah, one of the trends we’re seeing is that fandom is really broadening. The edges are growing. So think about podcasts, creators, highlights, all the ancillary content around sports. And we find that viewers really want all of that content as much as they want to watch the live game or match. Uh we recently just announced a new live sports talk show, pregame with Matthew Berry, and we’re really excited about that because it’s really hitting on that trend.

Another trend we’re seeing is that discovery is what matters. So when folks sit down in their living room at night, turn on their TV, they want to discover something new. And we actually heard that three quarters of viewers would discover a new sport if it was for free. And that trend is playing out really nicely across the X Games on the Roku channel, which is a live destination. and we actually have the Savannah Bananas airing there as well. So we’re hoping to grow those fan bases across the user community.

So, Caitlin, with Roku expanding sports hubs, deepening its sports rights portfolio, uh, for example, the National Women’s Soccer League, how does this growth in Roku’s sports ecosystem create new opportunities for Omnicom’s advertiser partners?

Yeah, it’s a great opportunity for Omnicom brands because it gives them the opportunity to connect with either existing leagues or emerging leagues, and we’re seeing that play out with the National Women’s Soccer League. So Roku will have, uh, NWSL Sunday night matches. Uh, eight of them in 2026 with 25 of them in 2027. So it gives viewers a moment to discover a new sport they might not be interested in or for brands to connect with those viewers.

For Omnicom, the value is flexibility and efficiency. So brands can choose to align with a major league, an emerging sport or a fan community. And from an efficiency side of the business, brands can also make sure they reach incremental audiences across a Roku with our targeting capabilities and our growing fan bases.

One of the trends we’re seeing is that fandom is growing at the edges. So think of docu series, podcasters, creators. Uh, we just announced last week our new live sports talk show, Pregame with Matthew Berry and it’s really fitting into this trend.