The Sports Publisher’s Guide to Viewability and Ad Placement

Sports fans are a unique breed: passionate, loyal, and always hungry for the next update. But if you run a sports related site, you know they’re a tough crowd to please. They’re fast-scrolling, often on mobile, and want to see scores, lineups, or highlights, not ads. So how do you monetize without disrupting the user experience?

The answer lies in smart ad placement and optimizing for viewability, the most important combination for revenue in programmatic advertising.

In this guide, we’ll break down:

• What viewability really means and why it matters for sports publishers

• Key ad placements for optimal revenue

• How to improve viewability without hurting UX

What is Ad Viewability and Why Does It Matter?

Ad Viewability refers to how much of an ad is actually seen by users. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), an ad is considered “viewable” if 50% of its pixels are in view for at least 1 second (for display) or 2 seconds (for video).

Why Ad Viewability is Crucial for Sports Publishers

• Advertisers pay more for inventory that gets seen.

• Low viewability = lower CPMs and fill rates.

• Sports sites often have fast page interactions and bouncing behavior, which can tank viewability if ad placement isn’t optimized.

What’s a Good Viewability Rate? 

What’s considered a “good” viewability rate can vary depending on your site’s niche and the types of ad formats you use. That said, a solid benchmark to aim for is around 70% or higher. Hitting this range usually means most of your ads are actually being seen by users, a key signal for advertisers.

If your viewability rate is below 50%, it’s worth inspecting your ad placements. Rates this low can significantly reduce demand for your ad inventory and negatively impact your overall revenue.

The good news is that there’s several ways to improve it. Below, we’ll walk through the key factors that influence ad viewability and offer some tips to help boost your numbers.

Understanding Sports Fan Behavior (and How It Impacts Ad Strategy)

• Mobile-first audience: Most fans check scores on phones, often mid-game or on the go.

• Scroll-heavy behavior: Users skim quickly through content to get to the latest updates.

• Short attention spans: Unless they’re watching a live match, sports users don’t dwell on a site for too long– they’re task-driven.

• Peak-time surges: High traffic during match events, breaking news, or transfer rumors.

Ads must load fast, appear where fans are most engaged, and avoid interrupting critical content like live scores or match commentary.

Best Ad Placements for Maximum Viewability

Above-the-Fold 

In-Content Ads

Ads embedded naturally within your content, such as after the first or second paragraph, are 53% more likely to be seen than traditional display ads. Readers are already engaged at that point, so the ad feels more natural and gets more attention. Use smart ad placement logic, like inserting an ad every few paragraphs or after rich media (like videos or images), to keep things consistent and non-intrusive.

Sticky Ads (Especially Mobile)

On mobile, sticky ads are incredibly effective. They stay in view as users scroll, which gives them more exposure and better viewability rates. Just make sure they follow UX best practices. For example, don’t let them cover key navigation or content.

High-Impact Units: Video & Interstitials

If you’re looking to boost CPMs, video ads embedded in your content feed can be a strong performer. They grab attention and often command premium rates. Interstitials, full-page ads that appear between content pages, can also work well, particularly in galleries or multi-page articles. Just be sure to use them sparingly, as too many can negatively impact your user experience!

We offer High-Impact Packages that include a variety of standout ad formats, carefully designed to maintain strong CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) scores. What makes us different is our strong direct sales team that works closely with top brands looking to advertise in premium spaces. These brands want high-impact placements like these to make their campaigns stand out, and your site could be just what they’re looking for!

Tools & Tactics to Boost Viewability

Lazy Loading

Rather than loading all your ads at once, use lazy-loading to trigger ad loads only when they’re about to come into view. This reduces strain on page speed and improves the chances that ads are actually seen, especially important for longer articles or scroll-heavy pages.

Smart Refresh 

If you have long-form content or content that keeps users engaged for several minutes, like a live match, take advantage of smart refresh. By refreshing ad units based on user activity (like scrolling or time on page), you can increase impressions and revenue without sacrificing user experience.

Regularly Monitor and Test

What works on one site might not work for another! Use analytics tools to monitor your viewability rate, and don’t be afraid to test different ad formats and placements. It’s all about finding the right mix that resonates with your audience and drives the best performance.

UX Still Rules: Don’t Sacrifice Experience for Impressions

Sports fans are some of the most loyal visitors you’ll get. They come back regularly, follow updates closely, and engage deeply with your content. But they also have high expectations when it comes to user experience, especially during live matches or breaking news moments. If your site feels clunky, slow, or overly cluttered with ads, it doesn’t take much for them to bounce, and potentially not come back.

Here’s how to manage ad placement to keep users happy while still monetizing effectively:

• Avoid ad clutter, especially on mobile: Mobile screens are limited in space, so a clean, well-structured layout with strategic ad placement is key. Too many ads stacked together can overwhelm users and hurt both viewability and engagement.

• Don’t block or cover essential content: Ads should never interfere with key elements like live scores, match stats, embedded videos, or navigation menus. Sports fans are there for quick info so don’t slow them down.

• Be cautious with intrusive formats: Auto-play videos with sound, full-screen interstitials, and unskippable overlays may get attention, but often at the expense of user trust. Use these sparingly and only where they make sense contextually.

Remember, a great user experience builds loyalty, and in an era where search traffic is harder to come by, loyal visitors are more valuable than ever. When you strike the right balance between monetization and user respect, everyone wins.

How We Help Sports Publishers Like You

Your site is unique, so your ad strategy should be too. At Publisher Collective, we work closely with numerous sports publishers to create monetization setups that align with your content, audience, and user experience goals.

We know that many sports sites prioritize user experience over aggressive monetization. That’s why we focus on ad placements that are fast, non-intrusive, and built to blend seamlessly with your site, all while maximizing revenue.

We hand-pick demand sources to ensure the ads on your site are relevant, brand-safe, and worthy of your content. And, as part of our network, you also gain access to premium advertisers and direct deals that deliver higher CPMs than you might get on your own.

Our dedicated team understands the sports publishing space and is here to help with everything from setup tweaks to long-term growth strategies.

If you’re a sports publisher looking to boost revenue without compromising on user experience, we’d love to help. Get in touch with our Sports team to learn more.