Yael Milbank, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand at Magnite.
For decades, live sport and tentpole broadcast events have commanded a premium in Australia’s media market and for good reason.
They deliver scale, scarcity and attention in a way no other environment can. Audiences watch live, in real time, often together. They don’t skip or fragment like on-demand viewing. As a result, brands are willing to pay a premium to be part of them.
Broadcasters continue to invest heavily in premium sports and entertainment content, with competition intensifying as streaming platforms scale.
For advertisers, access to those audiences has traditionally come through sponsorship deals, negotiated months - sometimes years - in advance.
Think AFL Grand Finals, State of Origin, or the FIFA World Cup. Even cultural phenomena like Married at First Sight have typically been the domain of fixed integrations and premium partnerships.
Those deals remain core. But another layer of opportunity has quietly emerged.
Programmatic.
As live viewing shifts onto streaming platforms, advertisers now have more flexible ways to access some of the most engaged audiences in Australian media.
Streaming sports is reshaping the landscape
Streaming platforms now carry a growing share of Australia’s most valuable live content.
Seven draws major digital audiences across AFL and cricket on 7plus, as well as Supercars, the Commonwealth Games, and more, while Nine’s 9Now streams the NRL, NBL, and Netball and major events like Married At First Sight, Olympics and the AO. Kayo Sports and Foxtel offer one of the deepest sports catalogs in the market, spanning coverage of the AFL, NRL, Formula 1, Supercars and cricket.
Stan Sport has established itself as a major English Premier League and rugby destination, while 10 Streaming and Paramount+ are home to the A-Leagues, CommBank Socceroos and Matildas games, and live UFC. ESPN on Disney+ serves sports fans with the Best of the US including NBA and NFL. SBS will bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the Tour de France to Australian streaming audiences.
For advertisers, that growing range presents both opportunity and complexity. Each platform delivers premium audiences - but planning across them can quickly fragment.
Navigating this requires a clear view of when and where audiences are gathering. Live sports calendars are a great tool for agencies to map demand against key moments across broadcasters.
Increasingly, that visibility is being paired with programmatic infrastructure, allowing campaigns to align to moments and activate seamlessly across platforms.
How programmatic enables access across live streaming
Premium live inventory isn’t open access - buyers still need to engage directly with broadcasters - but once those relationships are in place, it enables campaigns to run across multiple environments through a single workflow.
Platforms like Magnite increasingly act as the technology layer between broadcasters' supply and buyers' demand side platforms - helping agencies activate campaigns across environments including 9Now, 7plus, Kayo Sports, 10 Streaming, Paramount+, Stan Sport, SBS On Demand and Disney+.
“Live sport has always been one of the most powerful environments in advertising,” said Yael Milbank, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand at Magnite.
“What’s changed is that the programmatic infrastructure now exists to connect buyers with these environments more seamlessly. It allows advertisers to access premium live audiences across broadcasters with the flexibility they’re used to in digital media.”
Increasingly, broadcasters have opened their live streaming inventory to programmatic demand, allowing brands to complement sponsorships with more flexible activation.
Rather than replacing traditional deals, programmatic is an additional layer, helping advertisers scale campaigns across multiple live environments.
Building infrastructure for live environments
Live programming presents unique operational challenges.
Campaigns must align with schedules and key moments - something that historically required manual coordination.
To simplify this, Magnite recently introduced Live Scheduler, designed to help broadcasters and buyers coordinate programmatic campaigns around live programming.
“The goal is to make it easier for broadcasters and advertisers to manage campaigns around live events without compromising the premium nature of those environments,” said Paige Bilins, SVP Product Management, Magnite.
“Live streaming is one of the fastest-growing segments of premium video, but it comes with more complexity than on-demand content.”
But these dynamics aren’t limited to sport. Major broadcast events deliver some of the largest audiences in Australian media. Programs like Married at First Sight consistently dominate viewing charts, creating national moments where audiences gather across broadcast and streaming.
Programmatic infrastructure is allowing brands to activate around those moments.
“These are shared cultural events,” Milbank said.
“Whether it’s live sport or reality programming, audiences are gathering in huge numbers. Programmatic technology is giving advertisers more ways to participate.”
The next phase of premium video
For agencies, the shift is clear.
Traditional sponsorships remain powerful, but programmatic is becoming an essential complementary layer - enabling brands to extend campaigns across multiple live streaming environments.
With major global events ahead, its role in connecting advertisers with live audiences will only grow.
“Live moments remain some of the most valuable environments in media,” Milbank said. “The difference today is that advertisers have more ways than ever to access them.”
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.