More Than a Match: Why Live Streaming Deserves a Bigger Role in Your Media Plan

Live streaming is bigger than the game. New research from Magnite reveals what Kiwi audiences are watching and when advertisers should show up.

Live sport on a Saturday afternoon is no longer just the couch, TV and a cold beverage. New research from Magnite reveals that 80% of New Zealanders are watching live content via connected TV - and when they do, they're rarely watching alone. On average, live streams are watched with three other people - which is a highly engaged, and interactive audience occasion.

The Magnite Inside the Live Experience study surveyed 900 New Zealanders aged 18 and over who watch live content via streaming services. The findings reveal that live streaming has matured into a multi-genre, multi-device, high-attention environment - and advertisers who treat it as a niche channel are missing out.

Sport gets you in the door, but it's not the whole house

If your live streaming strategy starts and ends with rugby, you're missing more than half the picture. Live news, events, and TV shows are all pulling significant audiences - with streaming now a major destination for live viewing across every genre. The opportunity to reach New Zealand audiences through live content is broader than most media plans currently reflect.

The living room is a shared space and you should plan for it

Live streaming on CTV is a social experience. Most viewers are watching in shared spaces with an average of three other people. This has real implications for creative - a single impression can reach multiple viewers at once, and high-impact formats that work at scale in a shared environment will outperform ads designed for solo, personal-device viewing.

The window of attention is wider than the event itself

Nearly a third of live viewers regularly tune in before the event starts, and nearly a third stay for post-event coverage. Before and after, they're on social media, reading coverage, and discussing what they’re watching with their friends.. The insight here is that the live event is an anchor, not a boundary. Advertisers who activate only during the broadcast are reaching a fraction of the engaged audience.

Live audiences are more ad-tolerant than you might expect

There's a common assumption that streaming audiences are ad-averse. The data doesn't support it - at least not in live environments. Nearly three quarters of respondents are open to the same or more ads per hour as on-demand, and 41% recall a specific ad from their last live viewing session. Live content creates a different psychological contract with the viewer - they expect ads as part of the experience, and they're paying attention.

Brand perception is a side effect of live advertising

This is the finding that should get planners' attention. Viewers consistently associate brands that advertise during live streams with being premium, trustworthy, and established - regardless of what the ad itself says. The environment is doing brand-building work before the creative even lands. For brands trying to shift perception, live streaming is under-utilised.

Rugby is premium - but don't overlook the rest

Rugby commands the largest live streaming audience and the strongest association with premium advertising environments. But the purchase intent data tells a more nuanced story - Boxing/MMA outperforms rugby on this measure, and sports like tennis, basketball, and esports show strong numbers among their audiences. Reach and impact are not the same thing, and the right sport depends on what you're trying to achieve.

The second screen is a direct response channel

More than half of live viewers are using a smartphone while watching on TV. A fifth are actively shopping. This makes live streaming one of the few environments where upper-funnel brand exposure and lower-funnel action can happen simultaneously. Shoppable ad formats are still emerging in awareness, but 65% of ad-driven actions occur during or immediately after the live stream, which means the intent window is narrow and real.

AI in advertising: neutral but not indifferent

Most viewers are not put off by the idea of AI-generated ads, and a significant proportion are open to AI-powered personalisation. The caveat is transparency - the majority would prefer brands to disclose when AI has been used. This is less a barrier than a clear signal about where audience trust sits.

Ready to put the findings to work? Download the full 'Inside the Live Experience' report below and contact Magnite's New Zealand team directly at nhenderson@magnite.com to discuss how live streaming fits your strategy.