Magnite Research Reveals Live Streaming Brings Audiences Together and Keeps Them Engaged Beyond the Main Event

NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising company, today released Inside the Live Experience: Live Viewing Behavior and Ad Engagement in the US, a new study exploring how Americans engage with live streaming and the advertising within it. The research finds that live streaming has expanded beyond sports into news, entertainment and cultural events, while co-viewing and engagement with content surrounding live programming are extending the ways advertisers can reach and influence viewers.

According to the research, CTV further amplifies the live opportunity, with nearly all respondents stating they use CTV to stream live content, and 69% are always or often watching that content with others. Engagement also extends beyond the live broadcast as 46% regularly watch pre-event coverage and 48% regularly watch post-event coverage, while 59% say advertising across both live and shoulder content increases their likelihood to purchase from a brand.

Streamers consider the live streaming experience equal to or better than traditional TV, with 61% saying streaming offers greater content variety and 56% preferring its overall viewing experience. Streaming services also ranked as the most trusted platform for delivering a high-quality live experience, ahead of traditional TV and video-sharing platforms.

“What this research illustrates is that the opportunity around live streaming doesn’t begin and end with the main event,” said Mike Dupree, SVP, Demand at Magnite. “The content surrounding live programming is an increasingly important part of the viewing experience and extends engagement beyond the broadcast itself. As audiences also tune into more types of live content and view advertising in these environments as relevant and trustworthy, there’s significant potential for brands to build reach and impact across the full live window.”

Additional key findings from the study include:

• 66% of consumers remember an ad from their last live viewing session.
• 79% are open to the same or more advertising per hour in live content compared with on-demand.
• 57% think brands that advertise during a live stream are more premium, while 51% see them as more trustworthy.
• 55% always or often use a second screen while streaming content on a TV, with 24% using that second screen to shop online.

Methodology
Magnite engaged Bounce Insights to execute an online survey of over 800 Americans aged 18+ who watch live content via streaming services, exploring their live viewing behaviors and advertising perceptions.

About Magnite
We’re Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the world’s largest independent sell-side advertising company. Publishers use our technology to monetize their content across all screens and formats including CTV, online video, display, and audio. The world’s leading agencies and brands trust our platform to access brand-safe, high-quality ad inventory and execute billions of advertising transactions each month. Anchored in bustling New York City, sunny Los Angeles, mile high Denver, historic London, colorful Singapore, and down under in Sydney, Magnite has offices across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC.

Media Contact: 
Megan Hughes
mhughes@magnite.com