With the NFL season kicking off next week, you’ll see plenty of coverage around sports betting ads popping up “everywhere” once again. But did the ads ever really go away this offseason?

iSpot’s new report on sportsbook TV advertising shows that the industry has managed to grow TV ad impressions, while also expanding its footprint beyond one that was decidedly focused on football to-date. From Jan. 1-Aug. 15, 2023, sportsbook household TV ad impressions were up 25% vs. the same stretch in 2022. Importantly, “just” 58% of those impressions were delivered by sports programming. By contrast, that figure was 74% the year before.

Perhaps as a response to repeated calls of there being too many betting ads — particularly during games — top brands in the space have aimed to diversify the programming where ad buys occur. For instance, while the NBA and NFL have still led the way for sportsbook TV ad impressions so far, you’ll also find programs like Friends, On Patrol: Live and South Park high on the list, with considerable jumps compared to last year.

The purposes there are clear, of course: Not only can sports betting brands continue to grow TV ad reach without the same loud concerns about frequency of messaging, but non-sports placements can grow the potential audience pool beyond what’s considered “typical” AND more advertising during non-premium programming means the advertising can cost less.

Since customer acquisition costs can be quite high for sportsbooks (reports say nearly $400 per customer at the low end), finding better efficiencies on TV is certainly a positive. Brands like FanDuel and DraftKings have dominated the national betting space thus far and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. But whether it’s those giants or would-be challengers, money saved is still an alluring idea.

FanDuel and DraftKings themselves (along with Caesars) may be looking for new places for ad buys this fall too, now that ESPN Bet is set to launch. Those three brands all had partnerships in place with ESPN, which will now be replaced by the in-house service from Penn Gaming. That’s hundreds of minutes of ads in Q4 alone (based on last year’s figures) that could require reallocation elsewhere.

This is where an understanding of where to find target audiences comes in.

While a lot of consumers watch sports, many also watch other programming. And nearly all of that programming is less expensive to advertise against than football (and particularly, the NFL) is.

Whether it’s sportsbooks, CPG or automotive brands, there’s clearly value to having ads appear during football games and other premium programming. Where all advertisers can benefit, though, is weighing how alternative programming can factor in as well. That can differ based on individual goals and ad budgets. But if a brand can reach 70% of the NFL audience during sitcom re-airs, for a fraction of the price, it’s information worth knowing (and acting on).