Genius Sports, a global powerhouse in real-time sports data and technology, has released The Companion Screen: A New Era of Sports Consumption and Advertising; a new report exploring how the dynamic between television and mobile is reshaping sports advertising.
Marketers have long treated television and mobile as distinct channels, each with its own media strategy, creative approach, and measurement framework. But for sports fans, these screens are not separate experiences. Instead, they work together as part of a single, connected journey where each plays a unique role in enhancing how fans engage with the game.
While watching live sports, the mobile device has become an essential companion to television. Fans use it to message friends, check scores and statistics, follow social media conversations, access additional insights and commentary, shop, and immerse themselves more deeply in the action unfolding on screen.
According to new thought leadership research from Genius Sports, this behavior presents a significant opportunity for advertisers. Rather than simply reaching the same fan across multiple devices, brands can create connected experiences that align with both the individual fan and the key moments taking place during the game, making engagement more relevant and impactful.
Among people who watch sports at weekly
- 71% want mobile advertising personalized to their interests;
- 59% want advertising personalized to what is happening in the game they are watching.
The next era of sports advertising goes beyond targeting the right fan or even the right game. It is about understanding what is happening in the game in real time and aligning advertising with the mood and momentum of the fan experience.
A big moment in a game can change how fans feel and how they respond to advertising. Whether it’s a team scoring, a dramatic finish, or a pause in the action, these moments create valuable opportunities for brands to connect.
Fans said the most impactful times for relevant advertising are during halftime (30%), when their team scores or makes a big play (29%), and during close or exciting moments in the game (23%).
“Mobile is no longer a ‘second screen’; it’s the companion screen, helping fans connect, react to the game in real time and engage with brands in relevant ways,” said Tony Marlow, Chief Marketing Officer at Genius Sports. “Everything happening around the game, from social and fantasy to prediction markets and live experiences is turning up the surrounding sound of sports. The game is getting bigger, more connected, and more immersive. And fans are telling us exactly what they want from brands in that environment: to connect the experience across screens and make every interaction relevant to both who they are and what’s happening in the game.”
The research points to a new model for sports advertising that brings three signals together: who the fan is, what is happening in the game and which screen they are using. The opportunity extends across screens, with 61% of weekly sports viewers saying they would welcome a personalized mobile offer connected to an ad they had just seen on TV.
Genius Sports enables this through its Fan Graph and Moment Engine. The Fan Graph brings together fan identity, interests and behaviors to help brands understand who they are reaching, while the Moment Engine uses proprietary live sports data to identify and activate against meaningful moments as games unfold. Together, they enable marketers to reach the right fan, on the right screen, at the right moment.
Genius Sports fielded the survey among 1,001 U.S. adults during the week of August 10, 2026, with results balanced to U.S. Census figures for age, gender, income and region.
