The New Playbook for Reaching Sports Fans

By Ying Wang, General Manager, Xumo Advertising

 

Sports fandom looks very different today than it did just a few years ago.

Fans are no longer turning to a single network or app for the live games and sports they care about. Instead, they're navigating a growing mix of streaming services, traditional linear channels, FAST channels, and connected TV experiences to discover what to watch and where to watch it.

Those shifts are changing how sports audiences engage with content and creating new opportunities for brands to reach them throughout the fan journey, from discovery to live viewing and ongoing fandom.

That's where Xumo is uniquely positioned.

By combining content discovery experiences across Xumo devices with a growing lineup of sports programming and live events on Xumo Play, Xumo helps advertisers reach audiences before, during and beyond the game, all year long.

Live sports is reshaping the FAST experience

For years, sports on FAST was often associated with archived games, highlights, and shoulder programming. Today, that narrative is changing.

Across Xumo Play, there's live sports content available nearly every day, giving fans more ways to engage and advertisers more ways to connect with sports audiences year-round.

Xumo Play now features 45 sports channels, 31 of which carry live sporting events. In the next few months, customers will be able to enjoy live D1 NCAA football games from RYZ Sports Network, SI TV and SWAC; NCAA basketball and professional women’s soccer, hockey and volleyball on Scripps Sports; and live ATP tournament coverage on TennisChannel2 – with more live sports set to launch across additional networks later this year. At the same time, niche sports providers such as Bowling TV, Billiard TV, Pickleball TV, and Cowboy+ Sports are using FAST to connect with passionate audiences through regular live programming.

That's particularly important as sports viewing habits continue to evolve. While major events still draw massive audiences, many fans are also spending time with emerging leagues, niche competitions, and sports communities that align closely with their interests.

Discovery has become part of the sports experience

As sports viewing fragments across platforms and services, discovery has become more important than ever, for fans and brands alike.

This year, Xumo helped viewers navigate some of the biggest sports moments on the calendar, including the Winter Olympics, March Madness, and the World Cup, through curated destinations that brought together live games, highlights, news, and related programming in one place.

These experiences do more than simplify discovery. They create valuable moments for brands to engage fans as they decide what to watch.

Unlike traditional advertising environments focused on engaging viewers while they’re watching, Xumo enables advertisers to engage audiences while they're actively searching, exploring, and deciding what to watch. Those moments of intent represent a valuable opportunity to reach viewers before they enter a specific streaming app or network environment.

From tentpole moments to year-round fandom

While marquee events remain important, some of the strongest opportunities emerge from ongoing fan engagement. The World Cup provided a powerful example.

Xumo Play live-streamed two Telemundo Spanish-language World Cup matches in 2026, marking the platform's first live broadcasts of a major sporting event. More than 40% of viewers who tuned in were new to Xumo Play, while Hispanic viewership over-indexed by roughly 60% during the matches. Engagement with Latino-focused programming remained elevated by more than 60% in the two weeks that followed.

The impact extended beyond the event itself, demonstrating how sports can introduce new audiences and drive deeper engagement over time.

NASCAR tells a similar story. Since the introduction of NASCAR Channel and dedicated NASCAR discovery experiences across Xumo, NASCAR viewers have watched nearly three times as many hours as non-viewers, explored more than three times as many channels and have been 21% more likely to return to the platform.

Xumo Play has continued to build on that momentum as the exclusive streaming home of Season 2 of NASCAR: Rising, creating another touchpoint for fans to engage with the sport beyond race day.

Those behaviors highlight the power of fandom. Fans don't just show up for a single game or race. They continue exploring related content, discovering new programming, and building deeper connections across the sports ecosystem.

For advertisers, that's where the year-round opportunity becomes clear. The most valuable sports audiences aren't only engaged during major events. They're continuously following the sports, leagues and communities they're passionate about.

What this means for advertisers

Xumo offers multiple paths to engage sports fans, from premium home screen experiences and event hubs to sports channels, live events and fandom-driven programming. Together, those touchpoints create opportunities to connect with audiences at every stage of engagement.

Brands such as Eli Lilly and Golden Corral have already leveraged those opportunities, aligning with major sporting events and passionate fan communities in ways that extend beyond traditional sponsorship models.

As Xumo expands its live sports offering across additional leagues, competitions and categories, advertisers will have even more ways to reach audiences across a broad range of interests and fandoms.

But reaching sports fans is only part of the opportunity. By helping fans navigate an increasingly fragmented sports landscape, Xumo is making the sports experience easier. The brands that stand out will be the ones helping deliver that experience, earning MVP status with audiences by supporting seamless discovery, viewing and engagement. In today's streaming landscape, sports advertising is about more than game day. It's about keeping fans engaged before, during and beyond the game.