Strategus Partners with PubMatic to Unlock Smarter CTV Performance for Advertisers in Live Sports

Game-, team- and ZIP-level targeting, with cross-device activation, helps regional advertisers turn global sports events into locally relevant CTV campaigns

DENVER & REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PubMatic (Nasdaq: PUBM), the leading AI-powered ad tech company delivering digital advertising performance, and Strategus, a pioneer in connected TV and omnichannel programmatic advertising, today announced an expanded partnership to help brands access premium live sports and sports-adjacent CTV through PubMatic’s unified platform. The collaboration is designed to make these environments more accessible, precise and performance-driven for advertisers of all sizes.

The collaboration combines PubMatic’s unified premium publisher access, AI-powered Live Sports Marketplace, sell-side decisioning and transparent reporting with Strategus’s best-in-class, white-glove campaign strategy, execution, optimization and in-flight optimization, attribution, and measurement.

This partnership enables advertisers to:

• Activate campaigns across live games and premium streaming environments through curated programmatic deals.
• Align campaigns with specific sports, leagues, teams, markets, and game windows.
• Apply Designated Market Area (DMA) and, where inventory permits, ZIP-level targeting to make major sports moments locally relevant.
• Extend campaigns across cross-device, sports-adjacent programming, including analysis, highlights, sports news, and pre- and postgame coverage, to reach fans beyond live events.
• Use verified schedule and programming data to increase confidence that ads appear alongside intended content.
• Access program- and placement-level reporting for greater transparency into where campaigns ran.

Together, these capabilities create a more flexible model than a broad, one-size-fits-all sports buy. Advertisers can focus investment on the live events most relevant to their audiences, then use sports-adjacent content to extend reach and maintain engagement beyond the game window. For regional advertisers, this creates a path to translate the scale of global or national sports moments into locally resonant connections with the communities they serve.

From major sports moments to locally relevant campaigns

Advertisers are already putting this approach into practice. Strategus partnered with PubMatic and MayoSeitz Media to build Citadel Credit Union’s brand visibility across local and regional markets throughout Pennsylvania surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The collaboration gave the credit union greater geographic precision and access to premium sports inventory, helping it build meaningful visibility with audiences across the state during one of the world’s most anticipated cultural and sporting moments.

Across Strategus’s localized World Cup orders, PubMatic supported time sensitive, granular deal requirements. PubMatic’s ability to support zip-level and team-name targeting helped drive Strategus’s partnership decision.

“Brands of every size are looking for more precise, accountable ways to show up in the cultural moments, including sports, that matter most to their customers,” said Chrystal Rinkle, Vice President of Operations at Strategus. “Through PubMatic, advertisers can align campaigns with the games, markets and audiences most relevant to their business objectives. That capability is particularly valuable for challenger brands and SMBs seeking to access premium CTV, a channel that has historically been difficult to activate at scale.”

The opportunity

Streaming is an increasingly important destination for live sports audiences. According to EMARKETER’s US Sports Time Spent 2026, nearly three-fourths of US live sports viewers are expected to watch digitally in 2026. As audiences and advertising investment move toward live sports on CTV, PubMatic and Strategus help brands capitalize on that opportunity by combining verified live-event intelligence, sell-side decisioning across premium inventory, and premium publisher access with fully managed execution. The partnership also expands the addressable opportunity beyond scarce in-game impressions by incorporating cross-device premium sports-adjacent programming, giving advertisers more ways to connect with fans before, during and after major events. The result is a clearer path for established brands seeking precision and for challenger brands and SMB advertisers that need flexible, locally relevant ways to participate.

“PubMatic’s unified platform connects the publishers, data and activation capabilities needed to turn fragmented sports opportunities into transparent, actionable campaigns,” said Nicole Scaglione, VP of CTV/OTT, PubMatic. “Together with Strategus, we are making that intelligence available to more advertisers and creating new ways for brands to connect with the fans and moments that matter.”

Brands and agencies looking to activate across live sports and premium sports-adjacent CTV can explore PubMatic’s solutions or connect with a Strategus expert to discuss campaign strategy, activation and measurement.

About PubMatic

PubMatic (Nasdaq: PUBM) is the leading AI-powered ad tech company delivering digital advertising performance. Through an intelligent, unified platform that connects buyers, publishers, data partners, and commerce media networks, PubMatic delivers superior performance with greater transparency, control, and efficiency.

Since 2006, PubMatic has pioneered every major advance in programmatic advertising, from enabling the first OpenRTB transactions to embedding AI-driven optimization and privacy-focused innovation across its platform. With omnichannel scale, proven reliability, and a track record of continuous innovation, PubMatic is building a more intelligent, profitable, and sustainable digital advertising ecosystem. Built to Connect. Powered to Perform.

About Strategus:

Strategus helps brands and agencies drive measurable business outcomes through data-driven strategy, cross-channel media, and transparent reporting across every screen. From CTV and online video to display, streaming audio, and digital out-of-home, Strategus aligns every channel around the business results that matter most.