Meanwhile, sports, which largely drove the CPM increases in 2024, are expected to continue to grow.

As an example of the increasing demand, Mark Marshall, NBCUniversal’s ads president, told ADWEEK in 2024 that the company was already having talks about its upcoming 2026 Super Bowl.

And when it comes to the intersection of sports and streaming, the first buyer said relative upfront newcomers like Netflix could score big.

“Obviously, Netflix made a big splash last year with the [Jake Paul and Mike Tyson] fight, the Tom Brady roast, and a lot of partners have seen how that resonated, and it is becoming more of a big live event, sports-driven world. It’ll be interesting what networks come up with,” the buyer said.