March Madness isn’t just about buzzer-beaters and bracket busting—it’s one of the biggest live sports streaming events of the year. And if your brand isn’t reaching fans on Connected TV (CTV), you’re missing the shot.
The Streaming Shift Is Real
CTV viewership continues to rise, and live sports are leading the charge. According to Nielsen, streaming accounted for a record 41.6% of total TV usage just a year ago, with sports content driving significant engagement (Nielsen). During March Madness specifically, fans are increasingly choosing streaming platforms over traditional linear TV to catch every game.
The numbers tell the story: In 2025, men’s March Madness averaged nearly 10 million viewers per game, with the championship drawing over 18 million viewers—delivering one of the largest live sports audiences of the year (Nielsen). Even more telling? 90% of March Madness viewers use at least one streaming device to watch the tournament (AdWave).
Why Live Sports + CTV = Marketing Win
Live sports deliver something most content can’t: guaranteed attention. Viewers aren’t skipping through games—they’re locked in for every play. That translates to 94%+ video completion rates during live sports programming, meaning your ad gets seen, not skipped (Aniview).
But here’s where most advertising platforms drop the ball: they can deliver impressions during March Madness, but they can’t tell you if those impressions actually mattered.
BRIDGE Changes the Game
With BRIDGE, your message reaches the right, real people on CTV—without the cost of traditional TV buys. Every audience we activate is built from 250 million verified, consent-based people within our Data Safe™ framework. No bots. No fraud. Just real fans who deliver real results.
The real game-changer? People Match™ attribution comes free with every campaign. You’ll see exactly who saw your ad, who engaged with it, and who made a purchase afterward. No guessing. No proxy metrics. Just clear ROI from tip-off to the final buzzer.
Ready to Make Your Shot?
March Madness delivers one of the year’s most engaged streaming audiences. The question isn’t whether your brand should be there—it’s whether you’re reaching real people who actually convert to show your real results.
With BRIDGE, you own the court. Real audiences. Real attribution. Real results. Let’s strategize together.
