Cognitiv’s Full-Funnel CTV Drives Competitive Edge for Fanatics Sportsbook

Solution Pairs AudienceGPT for Branding with Custom Algorithms for Performance to Transform Behavioral Signals into Audience Intelligence

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cognitiv, the leading advanced performance partner powered by deep learning, today announced its full-funnel CTV solution has delivered a 19% lift in customer lifetime value for Fanatics Sportsbook. Built to drive outcomes across awareness, consideration, and performance, Cognitiv CTV combines deep learning-powered audience intelligence, advertiser-specific algorithms, and premium streaming inventory to help brands reach high-value audiences across CTV at scale.

“We are focused on serving fans and connecting them at the deepest level with the sports and teams they love,” said Jamie Coombes, VP, Performance, Fanatics Betting & Gaming. “Cognitiv gives us the unique ability to drive full-funnel performance by delivering significant brand lift while simultaneously acquiring attributable, high-value users across our sportsbook and online casino. In an increasingly competitive betting and gaming sector, Cognitiv’s technology and real-time intelligence are critical to staying ahead. As we continue to scale our efforts, their unique CTV capabilities will help us drive increasingly higher customer acquisition and revenue lift.”

Rather than optimizing toward the lowest-cost acquisition, Cognitiv’s deep learning models identified net-new audiences across CTV and online video that were most likely to generate long-term value for Fanatics Betting & Gaming. In addition to the 19% lift in lifetime value for Fanatics Sportsbook, Cognitiv CTV paid off around marquee moments such as March Madness, where Cognitiv identified and engaged these high-value customers to drive an 18% lift in brand awareness. For Fanatics Casino, the solution drove an 11% lift in brand awareness and a 12% lift in customer lifetime value.

As U.S. CTV ad spend is projected to reach $38B in 2026, growing 14.5% year-over-year, brands are demanding precision beyond just broad-based reach. Cognitiv’s deep learning technology helps eliminate wasted impressions by ensuring every CTV dollar reaches audiences based on real behavioral understanding, rather than demographic proxies or broad viewership categories.

“CTV is massive and growing but a lot of money is wasted on audiences that will never convert,” said Jeremy Fain, CEO and Co-Founder of Cognitiv. “Sophisticated advertisers are looking beyond outdated solutions for the real-time predictive intelligence Cognitiv provides to power their targeting. Fanatics is proof of what is possible when deep learning is at the core of your CTV branding and performance strategy.”

Through direct SSP integrations, Cognitiv provides access to premium publishers and reaches more than 250 million people across streaming environments. To help advertisers activate against this scale, Cognitiv CTV combines AudienceGPT and Custom Algorithms to convert behavioral signals into audience intelligence. AudienceGPT allows any team member to describe a target audience in plain language—a personality type, a life stage, a set of interests—and instantly receive a custom behavioral segment built from a deep understanding of the consumer journey. Audiences are portable across channels, allowing advertisers to activate the same high-quality segments across social, CTV, programmatic, and direct publisher deals, without rebuilding audiences. Custom Algorithms go further, training a unique deep learning model on each advertiser's own conversion signals, tying optimization directly to real business outcomes. Both capabilities are powered by Cognitiv’s Deep Learning Advertising Platform (DLAP).

About Cognitiv

Cognitiv is the leading advanced performance partner powered by deep learning. Leveraging cutting-edge AI technology and data science since 2015 to more accurately predict consumer behavior and understand nuance, Cognitiv connects brands with their customers in more precise, relevant, impactful moments at scale. Cognitiv’s Deep Learning Advertising Platform provides marketers with unprecedented flexibility, activating as a Dynamic Deal run through the DSP of your choice, as a managed service DSP, or through its industry-first ContextGPT product. Cognitiv is on a mission to bring intelligence to advertising. Keep up with Cognitiv on LinkedIn and Instagram.