Cognitiv says CTV lifts Fanatics lifetime value 19%

Cognitiv said its connected television advertising product delivered a 19% lift in customer lifetime value for Fanatics Sportsbook in a campaign for Fanatics Betting & Gaming in the US sports betting market.

The campaign focused on finding users with stronger long-term value rather than the lowest acquisition cost. According to the companies, Cognitiv's models identified new audiences across connected television and online video that were more likely to generate lasting returns for the sportsbook operator.

The announcement adds to a broader push by advertisers to use connected television not only for brand awareness but also for measurable customer acquisition. That shift has become more important as streaming audiences expand and marketers face pressure to justify spending against commercial outcomes.

For Fanatics Casino, the same product generated an 11% lift in brand awareness and a 12% lift in customer lifetime value, the companies said. Around March Madness, Cognitiv said its work for Fanatics also produced an 18% lift in brand awareness by targeting audiences it described as high value.

Targeting shift

The campaign reflects a growing preference among marketers for audience selection based on behavioural data rather than broad demographic categories. In gambling and gaming, where competition for customers is intense and acquisition costs can be high, customer quality can matter more than the initial sign-up price.

Fanatics Betting & Gaming presented the work as part of a wider effort to link brand and performance advertising. The company operates in a crowded field of established sportsbook and online casino groups, making retention and customer value central measures in media buying.

"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," said Coombes.

CTV market

Cognitiv said US connected television advertising spend is projected to reach USD $38 billion in 2026, up 14.5% year on year. The figure highlights why ad technology groups and media buyers are trying to improve precision in streaming environments, where large audiences do not always translate into conversions.

Its system works through direct supply-side platform integrations and can reach more than 250 million people across streaming environments, Cognitiv said. It combines a tool called AudienceGPT with custom algorithms that use behavioural signals and advertiser conversion data to define target audiences and refine delivery.

AudienceGPT is designed to let marketers describe an intended audience in plain language and receive a behavioural segment that can then be used across channels. Cognitiv said those audiences can be applied across social platforms, connected television, programmatic buying and direct publisher deals without being rebuilt for each channel.

Its custom algorithms are trained on an advertiser's own conversion signals, aiming to link optimisation to business outcomes rather than proxy metrics. Both functions sit within Cognitiv's wider Deep Learning Advertising Platform.

Competitive pressure

The results show how media buying in sports betting is evolving as operators seek more efficient ways to attract users with a higher propensity to remain active. In such categories, lifetime value is closely watched because promotional spending can quickly erode returns if newly acquired customers do not stay engaged.

Cognitiv argued that a substantial share of connected television spending still reaches audiences unlikely to convert. Better use of real-time behavioural insight can reduce wasted impressions and strengthen the link between brand and performance activity, it said.

"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," said Fain.