Are Streaming and Social the New Duopoly for Performance‑Based Live Event Marketing?
9/8/2025
For nearly two decades, performance marketing for live events has revolved around Google and Meta. Search captured existing demand, while social kept brands visible, usually to existing Customers.
For live event paid advertising, they’ve been the foundation for high ROAS, without much risk. No one ever got fired for delivering a 10x retargeting ROAS, but it's also not a strategy that “grows the pie” as is the case when prospecting for net new fans.
Today, the old model is under pressure on all fronts—from regulators, competitors and changing consumer behavior as well as higher revenue and growth targets for live event promoters–much being driven by private equity’s investment in sports is demanding.
The good news is that over the last 2 years, top‑of‑funnel brand-forward platforms like Connected TV and Paid Social have become both accessible and measurable. Unlike search and retargeting, they’re also able to create brand visibility and drive affinity among new audiences.
To meet this demand, self-service platforms like FanIQ One, MNTN and Vibe.co are set to shape how the next generation of live event marketers operate.
Nielsen’s May 2025 Gauge report found that streaming captured 44.8 % of U.S. television viewing versus 44.2 % for broadcast and cable combined–which is the first time streaming has surpassed linear. The CTV market is now estimated to be close to $30 billion.
Social media advertising is also booming, with marketers expected to spend about $93 billion in the US on social platforms in 2025.
As a point of reference, according to Statista, the US search Industry in 2025 is $150 billion, although, with the emergence of ChatGPT, less people are using Google as their go to source of information.
Social + Streaming For Branded Engagement and Performance
Against this backdrop, it’s worth spending some time thinking about what the next go-to channels and platforms will be—not just for posting the highest ROAS, but for actually engaging and converting new fans.
Like paid social, the streaming landscape is fragmented and requires mastery of five to six CTV ad managers. Amazon Prime Video leads with roughly 22% market share, closely followed by Netflix at 21%. Max ranks as the second or third most popular platform at around 12% of the market. Disney+ remains a powerhouse with a large and loyal user base, while Paramount+ and Apple TV+ hold smaller, niche positions compared to the leaders. In the U.S., Hulu also continues to play a significant role with about 11% share.
Connected TV (CTV) channels allow promoters to deliver a set of more polished creative alongside and measure success across a broad set of strategies. Advanced audience tools—available from a growing number of CTV platforms—score households based on purchase behavior, life events or intent signals, enabling campaigns that go beyond broad demos. Unlike search, CTV impressions are not limited to people already seeking an event; they can create awareness among potential new fans and still report on conversions.
On the paid social side of the equation, at 52 minutes per day, TikTok still commands more time per user than any other network, underscoring its central role in short-form video culture. By contrast, Instagram has steadily grown to around 35 minutes per day, positioning itself as the strongest challenger, while Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat are at roughly 30 minutes.
Unlike years past when paid social meant Facebook retargeting, paid social today is an opportunity to deliver highly-relevant content to prospective fans based on their unique interests. FanIQ’s Lifestyle Audiences, available via FanIQ.One and FanIQ.Live, are built around exactly that principle, helping partners connect at a personal level, around interests from sneakerheads to gamers and VIP experience seekers. Unlike the higher-level CTV brand building, paid social allows for more personalized storytelling that connects with people on why they should care about your event. While this strategy is a great way to engage new fans, it’s also a great way to refresh the brand for past buyers, while also learning more about what they’re interested in…beyond the game.
Matching Content to Each Platform
Success in paid social and streaming requires more than shifting budgets; it requires content strategy and execution that allows you to match content to the platform and the audience. A one‑size‑fits‑all approach is no longer an option, and paid video content needs to deliver the right message for the right platform and audience combination.
One major challenge is identifying what resonates with each segment, but thanks to the granular tracking capabilities of platforms like FanIQ One and MNTN, A/B tests are easier to run than ever.
In addition to producing content specifically for paid, identifying organic that appeals to specific audiences is also an effective approach. FanIQ One helps by tracking organic social activity across teams and events to surface the most authentic, relevant posts. By analyzing which organic clips drive engagement among different lifestyle audiences, promoters can leverage existing content and ensure that each platform reflects the tone and content its users expect. In addition to tracking user handles on social media platforms, FanIQ One also offers the ability to track hashtags to identify and harness the content your fans are creating.
How Platforms Like FanIQ One and MNTN Help
The rise of streaming and social introduces both opportunity and complexity. FanIQ One simplifies paid social by unifying lifestyle audiences, organic tracking, and campaign management in one platform—making it easier to test, scale, and optimize. Built for live events, it connects marketers with the right fans at the right time and tracks impact from first impression through purchase. MNTN plays a similar role in CTV, giving marketers the ability to run targeted, measurable campaigns without relying on old-school TV buying.
Together, platforms like FanIQ One and MNTN make it possible for promoters to move beyond retargeting and truly grow their audience. By combining brand-building reach with measurable performance, they’re helping create the new playbook for performance-based live event marketing.
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