New Zealand Live Streaming Moves Beyond Sport as CTV Drives Shared Viewing and Ad Engagement
New Magnite research finds 80% of live stream viewers use CTV for live content, while 73% are open to the same or more ads in live content compared to on-demand
AUCKLAND - July 15, 2026 – Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI), the largest independent sell-side advertising company, today released new research “Inside the Live Experience: Live Viewing Behaviour and Ad Engagement in New Zealand”, revealing that live streaming has evolved beyond sport into a mainstream, multi-genre viewing environment spanning news, entertainment, cultural moments and major events.
The study, which surveyed nearly 900 New Zealanders, found that live streaming is a firmly established viewing behaviour, with more than half of live viewers streaming live sports and news, while nearly one-third are watching live events and TV shows.
CTV has also emerged as the dominant screen for live streaming in New Zealand, with 80% of viewers using CTV to stream live content and 56% watching live content on CTV at least once a week. The research found live streaming on CTV is often a shared experience, with 64% of viewers streaming live content on CTV in shared home spaces, and 63% regularly watching with an average of three other people.
“Live streaming should no longer be treated as a single-event buy or a sports-only opportunity,” said Nick Henderson, Commercial Lead, NZ at Magnite. “The research shows New Zealand audiences are engaging with live content across sports, news, events and entertainment, often on CTV and in shared viewing environments. For advertisers, the opportunity is to plan beyond the main event, use live streaming as a premium brand-building environment, and extend campaigns across pre-event, live and post-event content to reach highly engaged audiences when they are most receptive.”
Live Environments are Primed for Ad Impact and Engagement
New Zealand viewers are receptive to live streaming ads, with 73% open to the same or more ads per hour in live content compared to on-demand. Viewers are also open to 7.6 minutes of ads per hour during live content.
This creates an opportunity for advertisers to extend campaigns beyond the live event and across related content, as 29% regularly consume pre-event coverage and 32% remain tuned in for post-event coverage.
Second-screen behaviour is also creating new opportunities for real-time brand engagement. More than half (52%) of viewers regularly use a second screen while live streaming content on TV, and 22% use that second screen to shop online.
The research also found 65% of actions taken after seeing a live stream ad occur either during or immediately after the live stream, while 30% of viewers are likely to engage with shoppable ads during live streams.
While live streaming is expanding across a broader mix of content, live sport remains one of the strongest environments for attention and advertiser impact, with over a third of viewers identifying live sports as the environment where they believe brands get the most impact from their attention.
Additional key findings include:
58% think the availability of live content makes a streaming service more valuable.
42% of viewers are more likely to trust brands that appear across live streams and related content.
41% of live stream viewers can remember an ad from their last live viewing session, while 39% think brands advertising during live streams are more premium and 36% think they are more trustworthy.
Live sports is the category viewers are most willing to pay more for, with viewers willing to increase their monthly streaming charge by an average of $4.98 for high-quality live sports.
72% of streamers are open to brands using AI to make the ad experience more personalised, although 62% would prefer brands to disclose when an ad has been created with generative AI.
Nick Henderson, Commercial Lead, NZ at Magnite
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Methodology
Magnite engaged Bounce Insights to execute an online survey of nearly 900 respondents aged 18+ in New Zealand who watch live content via streaming services. The study explores live viewing behaviours and advertising perceptions across sports, news, entertainment, cultural moments and major events.
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, vibrant Mumbai and down under in Sydney, Magnite has offices across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC.
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