---
title: Think CTV Reaches the Sports Audience? Think Again.
description: Think CTV Reaches the Sports Audience? Think Again. You're missing out on connecting with lots of fans and impressions
---

[Centriply's Targeted TV for Advertisers](https://blog.centriply.com)

# [Think CTV Reaches the Sports Audience? Think Again.](https://blog.centriply.com/ctv-only-sports-campaigns-how-much-audience-are-you-missing)

 Written by [Shelley Stansfield](https://blog.centriply.com/author/shelley-stansfield) | August 14, 2026

CTV-Only Sports Campaigns: How Much Audience Are You Missing? A local sports plan built solely on CTV misses linear broadcast viewers, cord-stackers, and traditional cable subscribers in priority local markets.

- To evaluate the **Linear TV & Cable System Blindspot**, look at the total scale of the **Top 10 (DMAs)** and how viewing habits break down between traditional linear (over-the-air broadcast affiliates + local cable systems) and pure OTT/CTV.
- Across just the top 10 markets, there are **~36.7 million TV households** (~29.3% of the entire U.S. media universe). While CTV adoption is high in major metropolitan areas, **60% to 70%+ of live sports viewing hours still occur on linear broadcast affiliates (FOX, CBS, NBC, ABC) and local cable systems.**

 Here is the market-by-market breakdown of what a pure CTV/OTT plan misses in the top 10 DMAs:

**Top 10 Local Market Breakdown**

| **DMA Rank & Market** | **Total TV Households** | **Linear Household Scale (B'cast + Cable)** | **The CTV Blindspot (Linear-Reliant Sports Viewers)** |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **1. New York** | **7,494,510** | ~4.2M Cable System Subs / ~1.2M OTA | **~3.8M – 4.5M HHs** tuning into live local sports primarily via WNYW (FOX), WCBS, WNBC, WPIX, or local cable sports networks. |
| **2. Los Angeles** | **5,835,790** | ~2.9M Cable System Subs / ~1.1M OTA | **~3.0M – 3.5M HHs** that watch Dodgers, Lakers, or Rams games live on local broadcast affiliates and cable systems rather than streaming apps. |
| **3. Chicago** | **3,654,750** | ~1.9M Cable System Subs / ~650K OTA | **~1.9M – 2.2M HHs** relying on local broadcast (WFLD/FOX, WMAQ/NBC) and cable systems for live Chicago sports coverage. |
| **4. Dallas-Fort Worth** | **3,264,490** | ~1.6M Cable System Subs / ~700K OTA | **~1.7M – 2.0M HHs** watching Cowboys, Rangers, or Stars on linear broadcast and traditional cable feeds. |
| **5. Philadelphia** | **3,145,920** | ~1.8M Cable System Subs / ~500K OTA | **~1.7M – 2.0M HHs** anchored to local broadcast affiliates (WTXF/FOX, KYW/CBS) and regional cable system lineups. |
| **6. Houston** | **2,797,420** | ~1.3M Cable System Subs / ~600K OTA | **~1.4M – 1.7M HHs** missing from pure OTT buys during live Astros, Texans, or Rockets games. |
| **7. Atlanta** | **2,758,170** | ~1.3M Cable System Subs / ~550K OTA | **~1.4M – 1.6M HHs** viewing college football and Braves/Falcons games via broadcast affiliates and local cable systems. |
| **8. Washington, D.C.** | **2,630,640** | ~1.4M Cable System Subs / ~400K OTA | **~1.3M – 1.5M HHs** in high-income suburban cable system footprints and broadcast households. |
| **9. Boston** | **2,584,460** | ~1.4M Cable System Subs / ~350K OTA | **~1.4M – 1.6M HHs** with deep linear sports loyalty (Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics) on local broadcast/cable system feeds. |
| **10. San Francisco-Oakland** | **2,542,480** | ~1.2M Cable System Subs / ~450K OTA | **~1.2M – 1.4M HHs** that stream non-sports content but return to linear broadcast/cable systems for live game broadcasts. |

**Core Operational Impacts of This Blindspot**

**1. The "Dual-Audience" Split**

- In the Top 10 DMAs, roughly **52% of sports-watching households are "Cord-Stackers"** (they keep traditional cable systems or antennas *specifically* for live sports and local news while subscribing to OTT apps for entertainment).
- When a campaign running ads solely through CTV apps (like MLB.TV or vMVPD streaming), they only hit the digital stream slice of the game.
- **The Missing Piece:** The 50%+ of fans watching the exact same game on their local broadcast affiliate (e.g., FOX 5 NY or CBS 2 LA) or local cable system never see the CTV campaign.

**2. Frequency Clumping in CTV vs. Reach Deficits in Linear**

- In major markets like New York (#1) and LA (#2), pure CTV sports campaigns suffer from severe frequency capping issues:
- **Over-Saturating Heavy Streamers:** The same high-frequency CTV sports viewer gets served the same ad 8–10 times per game across OTT apps.
- **Zero Reach Among Linear Sports Viewers:** Meanwhile, millions of household decision-makers watching live on linear cable systems or broadcast networks receive 0 impressions.

**3. The Combined CTV + Local Linear strength**

When talking to advertisers or prospective partners, our value centers on **incremental reach**:

> *In the Top 10 markets alone, relying solely on OTT/CTV live sports platforms leaves over 19 million TV households on the table. These households watch live games via local broadcast affiliates and cable systems.
> 
> By automating the integration of linear cable systems alongside CTV streaming, our proposal workflow allows buyers to achieve true 100% market reach without manual spreadsheet tracking.*
> 
>  

[View full post](https://blog.centriply.com/ctv-only-sports-campaigns-how-much-audience-are-you-missing)

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