Sports Streaming, Coca-Cola’s Agency Review and the Political Cliff Put TV Ad Budgets in Motion

Television advertising allocations are entering a period of heightened competition as brands pursue live sports audiences on streaming platforms, Coca-Cola reviews its North American media assignment and broadcasters prepare for the end of 2026 political spending.

The most immediate major-account development involves Coca-Cola, whose North American media business remains in play after Publicis won the assignment from WPP in spring 2025, then secured PepsiCo’s global media business from Omnicom and withdrew from Coca-Cola’s global review. Digiday reported that Omnicom and Dentsu are competing for Coca-Cola’s North American work, while WPP chose to concentrate on retaining the company’s media business elsewhere. Dentsu already handles Coca-Cola in Japan and South Korea. Omnicom, meanwhile, brings greater North American buying scale and a team that continues servicing PepsiCo during its transition to Publicis. Coca-Cola declined Digiday’s request for comment, and no winner had been confirmed. (digiday.com)

That contest arrives as advertisers reconsider where television money can deliver sports reach and measurable results. A Premion-commissioned Advertiser Perceptions survey found that 73% of respondents planned live sports streaming or connected-TV investments during the next six to 12 months. The figure reached 79% among agencies, compared with 65% among marketers. Advertiser Perceptions surveyed 302 U.S. decision-makers from August 3 through August 11, 2026; each represented a company or client planning at least $1 million in advertising over the following year. (streamingmedia.com)

The study does not suggest advertisers are simply replacing linear television. Forty percent said streaming sports helps extend linear campaigns, and 49% prioritized measuring incremental reach beyond linear TV. Local audience delivery and geographic reporting were important to 57%, creating an opening for Premion—TEGNA’s CTV/OTT advertising platform—and other sellers that combine streaming inventory with local-market capabilities. However, 44% cited cost as an investment barrier, while 41% identified difficulty measuring performance and return on investment. (streamingmedia.com)

Broadcast station groups face an additional timing problem: political advertising that supported 2026 revenue will fall sharply after the November 3 midterm election. Forecast 2027 scheduled Cox Media Group’s Danny Bortnick, Hearst Television’s Joe Fortunato, BIA Advisory Services’ Senan Mele and WPP Media’s Jen Soch to discuss replacing that revenue through data-informed sales, AI-driven targeting, digital products and connected TV. (rbr.com)

ConsumerEXP analysis: viewers should expect advertising to follow sports across streaming and linear outlets, while programmers, stations and distributors face greater pressure to simplify buying and prove which platform produced reach and results.