Average Minute Audience Measurement's Crucial Flaw

Traditionally, TV advertising is bought on average minute audience figures, but data from iSpot's recent Unified NFL TV & Video Ad Playbook reveals how doing so can create significant reach shortfalls for late-game advertisers – especially during lopsided contests.

• Looking at one primetime NFL game from the last two seasons, the average-minute audience for ads is right around 23 million P2+ impressions.
• Yet, 18 different brands—36% of the game's advertisers—only had ads appear between pod 14 and the end of the game, which fell well short of that mark from an audience (and ad reach) standpoint.
• That shortfall means brands are overpaying for placements during blowouts; creating needs for makegoods, and/or altogether getting less for what advertisers are paying for.
• The opposite dynamic works as well, with closer games over-delivering on late-game impressions vs. what was paid for, meaning networks aren't able to charge for what those airings are actually worth either.

Check out the full iSpot report for more around the necessity of second-by-second audience measurement for sports.