Sportradar: the new battle for attention happens in real time
With fragmented attention and second-screen usage hitting record highs in Latin America, brands must move beyond passive display and leverage real-time data to turn the unpredictable emotion of sports into instant relevance. By Rodrigo Cambiaghi, Sales Executive Lead, Digital Advertising, at Sportradar.
Opinion.- In today’s attention economy, few forms of entertainment can capture the collective imagination with the power of live sports. In an era dominated by on-demand consumption—where movies, shows, and music are enjoyed on each user’s own time—sports remain the last great bastion of simultaneous viewing. Fans don’t want to watch the highlights the next day; the vast majority still want to experience the drama, unpredictability, and emotion at the exact moment the action unfolds.
This unique ability to gather billions of people around shared cultural moments makes sports the most valuable intersection of culture, entertainment, media, and technology. Unsurprisingly, investments in the sector continue to expand rapidly: the global sports advertising market is projected to reach $118.7bn by 2034, with 48 per cent allocated to digital environments. However, the very traits that make it the world’s most compelling advertising channel also pose its greatest operational activation challenge.
Second screens and media fragmentation in Latin America
In Latin America—and exponentially in Brazil—this opportunity takes on added layers of dynamism. Latin American fans stand out globally for their high engagement and hyperconnectivity. Industry data shows that over 80 per cent of Brazilian sports fans use their smartphones as a second screen while simultaneously watching events on TV or digital streams.
At the same time, the regional media ecosystem has undergone a profound transformation. Connected TV (CTV) penetration in Latin America has reached 60 per cent of households, driven decisively by live sports streaming and digital channels. The fragmentation of broadcast rights has split the consumer journey across parallel touchpoints: while watching the match on the main screen, fans analyse stats, interact on social media, and check real-time odds on the devices in their hands.
While digital marketing has democratised access to the sports ecosystem—allowing non-official sponsor brands to reach highly qualified audiences—it has also drastically increased execution complexity. Sports have no script. A game’s narrative can shift in seconds following a late goal, a knockout, a red card, or a VAR decision.
Traditional digital media formats and manual design workflows are structurally incapable of keeping pace. If a team scores twice in quick succession, a sluggish media response might deliver an ad about the first goal long after the game’s dynamic has shifted. Today’s fans are savvy and passionate; they spot a lack of context immediately. In sports marketing, missing the mark on tone or timing is the advertising equivalent of an own goal.
Yet, this strategy shouldn’t be limited to high-stakes moments. The “always-on” approach becomes crucial during the lulls between emotional peaks. Even when there isn’t a goal or a comeback, fans continue tracking stats, anticipating the next play, assessing player performance, and discussing the match on social media. For brands, these moments offer real relevance—provided they have the technology to read the room and tailor communication accordingly.
The tech answer: Real-time data and specialised MarTech
To bridge the gap between game-day emotion and message delivery, marketing technology (MarTech) has evolved to integrate direct real-time sports data feeds. This infrastructure links the exact moment of play directly to ad automation engines and dynamic creative tools, turning live game events into immediate triggers. A goal, an offensive surge, a standout performance, or a shift in momentum can steer the message, format, and timing of an ad campaign within seconds.
Integrated into media platforms and digital channels, this data automates the creation and distribution of ads across multiple formats and touchpoints. When a decisive play occurs on the field, the system instantly fires off personalised messaging embedded with live stats. The result is communication that matches the fan’s exact emotional temperature, delivered seamlessly across second screens and streaming platforms.
As global market analysts point out, the most successful sports brands won’t be those that simply buy ad space around the game. They will be the ones that actively participate in the real-time conversations and cultural moments that sports create.
In Latin America, where sports transcend entertainment to serve as a pillar of national passion and identity, acting with surgical precision and instant speed is no longer a baseline requirement. The combination of deep sports data and specialised media tech finally allows brands to step off the bench and play in perfect sync with the fan.
