Three CTV Ad Innovations That Will Stick Around After The Olympics
Advertisers love a reason to flex their creativity and deliver impactful messages to their audiences. This February brings three such opportunities: the Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals.
NBCU is the media company airing all three. They’ve already announced that they sold out of inventory for the Olympics and the Superbowl is also sold out. But this year, it’s not just about standard ad-pods with 15 and 30 second videos. NBCU is bringing innovation to the table that will set the tone for CTV advertising going forward. There will be more interactivity - even retail elements - integrations with social media, targeting and more.
Other media companies on CTV and beyond will be upping their own game to compete this month and in the future. We are experiencing high profile testing of new ad types and we all need to pay attention.
Here's what I think will stick.
Virtual Placements Ramp Up
February’s three big sports events won’t just feature advertisers at commercial breaks. More and more, brands are breaking the content/advertising barrier with signage, sponsorships and product placements.
Already, sports teams make space for brands in games such as a branded overlay during a highlight replay or virtual signage in the stadium. Overlays like squeezebacks also bring brands closer to the content - when viewers are paying the most attention.
These current examples are just the beginning of what’s to come. With AI and data-driven streaming, media companies are embracing more sophisticated options. In November, AWS Entertainment debuted hyper-personalized virtual ads, which use data to determine which virtual ad to show to a particular viewer. Real-time product placements and signage give brands and media companies new real estate that doesn’t detract from the viewing experience.
Social Media Everywhere
Every year that goes by, more of Gen Z gains traction in adulthood, and that means social media plays a bigger role in major media experiences, and becomes more important to brands.
For the Olympics, NBCU is taking social seriously. They introduced the Milan Cortina Creator Collective in partnership with the major social media platforms Meta, TikTok, YouTube to highlight top influencer voices at the games. Of course, athletes themselves will also be active on social media throughout the games - social activity around the world will be immense - but opportunities for brands to connect the dots from streamed content to social is still limited.
For brands, the Superbowl is now more integrated into social media. Many top brands preview their ads on social platforms, and millions of people use social media to get commentary and share reactions during the game. Brands are active on social media throughout the game, and get millions of people to respond.
Rather than decide between social or TV, brands are increasingly incorporating them into a single plan and media companies need to prioritize hybrid offerings. Brands can highlight social content in their ads on TV just as easily as they can highlight TV ads on social. Bridging the gap between these two major platforms is becoming table stakes to interact effectively with younger “social first” generations.
Don’t be surprised if social media and CTV ultimately merge completely. Already, YouTube has made the case that it is a CTV player, not a social platform. As CTV takes over from linear, interactivity will become a more common feature of the biggest screen in the home. With gamers and mobile phone users already used to total interactive immersion, the TV is sure to be next, and social will become fully integrated.
Ad Pod Personalization
While some premium content (Like the Superbowl) will be sold up front, most inventory uses the same programmatic targeting as digital video. But even though a lot of CTV inventory is already sold programmatically, is not always dynamically targeted and advertisers lack visibility. Many of the largest broadcasters are still updating their technology to enable more flexible advertising and share more insights with advertisers. At the same time, some of the big streamers like Amazon and Netflix are innovating as fast as they can to offer data-driven solutions for brands.
Netflix announced in November that they are offering personalized, dynamic ad insertion. In the coming year, more of that programmatic CTV inventory will have the data and the targeting that brands have been asking for. That means someone in Chicago watching the curling match between the US and Canada this February will see a much different ad than someone in Jacksonville.
Open the Playing Field
NBCU might be the streaming media company in the spotlight in February, but all of the big dogs are in build mode. Now is not only the time to capture market share from a viewer perspective, it’s also time to create the future of advertising. Big events are a time to get millions of people used to things like personalization, interactivity and product placement so they can become performant options for brands well in to the future - across streaming providers.
Editor's note: This is a contributed article from Rembrand. Streaming Media accepts vendor bylines based solely on their value to our readers.]
Related Articles
Is the Olympic Committee's host broadcaster warming to the notion of transitioning to virtual or REMI production for this winter's fast-approaching Milan Cortina games? Speaking as part of a roundtable event three weeks out from the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina XXV Winter Games (MC26) in Northern Italy, Yiannis Exarchos, CEO, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) said that the sheer scale of an Olympics and current technological limitations on behalf of rights-holding broadcasters meant elimination of a physical International Broadcast Center (IBC) is not likely soon, or even desirable.
19 Jan 2026
Redefining viewer engagement demands ongoing evolution. Streaming entertainment should feel effortless. Discovery should be smart. Subscriptions should be simple. And operators should have the tools to act with precision and agility.
02 Jul 2025
Casey Saran, CEO of Spaceback, challenges advertisers to think about the next wave of TV advertising innovation coming their way in 2025. Especially as GenZ moves into adulthood, they'll bring their social habits with them, and their expectations for personalized, interactive experiences.
30 Jan 2025