The observation is now clear: live sports are no longer a unique moment, concentrated on a single screen. It is part of an expanded, continuous experience, where digital uses extend and enrich consumption long before kick-off and long after the final whistle.
The match is no longer enough.
A study conducted by Teads among 1,000 French people – in a global panel of 9,000 respondents – highlights a structural shift. More than half of viewers (51%) use a second screen alongside a live sporting event. This practice is now established, no longer a marginal behavior but a deeply ingrained reflex.
This second screen serves several functions. It allows real-time interaction, checking statistics, following comments, or browsing the internet. It also becomes a transactional lever: 29% of viewers say they make online purchases during sports events, while 22% consume products directly related to the moment – delivery of meals, contextual promotions, or event-related offers.
Sports thus emerge as an entry point to a multitude of digital uses, blurring the boundaries between content, interaction, and commerce. This hybridization fundamentally redefines the concept of the audience.
A broader, more diverse, and more engaging audience.
Another major finding of the study: major sports events go beyond just enthusiasts. They become cultural gatherings capable of attracting heterogeneous audiences.
The segmentation proposed by Teads is particularly enlightening: 22% of superfans coexist with 29% of engaged fans, as well as 28% casual viewers, 8% festive viewers, and even 13% non-sports enthusiasts. This last figure alone illustrates the ability of sports to transcend its traditional target audience.
This diversity mechanically reinforces the interest of brands. Especially as the consumption context remains particularly favorable. The home remains the central place: 68% of French people watch major sports events at home, with 41% watching with family. A conducive environment for shared attention, often more qualitative than in mobile contexts.
The impact indicators are significant in this regard. Nearly half of French people (47%) say they are open to discovering new brands during sports events. Meanwhile, 43% believe that a brand’s presence during these moments strengthens their connection to it. Furthermore, 47% claim to be more inclined to make purchases when advertising exposure is consistent across multiple screens.
The central role of premium environments.
While usage patterns fragment, not all environments are equal. The study highlights the growing power of premium digital spaces in brand discovery.
Search engines and news sites are at the forefront (29% each), followed by sports sites and connected TV (25% each). Conversely, social platforms lag behind (15%), confirming a trend observed in recent years: in a sports event context, users prefer environments considered more reliable, qualitative, and often better contextualized.
Connected TV stands out as a strategic turning point. The HomeScreen, often overlooked, becomes a key moment in the user journey. Even before accessing content, it serves as the first entry point for brands, in a context of heightened attention.
Omnichannel as the new standard.
This continuous circulation between screens redefines marketing strategies. The focus is no longer on reaching an audience at a specific moment, but on accompanying them throughout their journey.
The results of campaigns conducted by Teads clearly illustrate this evolution. Omnichannel approaches – combining CTV, mobile, and web – generate higher performance compared to single-channel campaigns: +6% brand awareness, +8% ad recall, +8% message association, and up to +10% purchase intent.
These gains stem not only from repetition but from a logic of coherence and complementarity. Each screen plays a specific role in shaping the experience and anchoring the message.
As Caroline Hugonenc, SVP Data & Insights at Teads, summarizes, sports moments must now be seen as “continual ecosystems of attention.” This approach requires advertisers to plan their activations in the long term, intelligently linking touchpoints.
In this landscape, sports confirm their status as premium content, capable of generating reach, engagement, and performance simultaneously, provided they meet the challenges of their new complexity.
Alain Jouve
