About beIN SPORTS
beIN SPORTS is one of the largest global sports streaming platforms, offering coverage across Australia and New Zealand through Amazon Prime Video and its dedicated app, beIN SPORTS CONNECT.
The Carabao Cup Final
The Carabao Cup Final in March represented one of the most anticipated events on the football calendar, drawing passionate audiences and peak viewership across the region. For sports fans, it was a must-watch showdown; for brands like beIN SPORTS, it was a golden opportunity to engage a highly energized audience.
With the Carabao Cup Final drawing massive live audiences, beIN SPORTS wanted to capitalize on the surge in viewership to maximize Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
The objective was twofold: drive immediate impact during the seasonal peak in March and maintain strong performance beyond the Carabao Final.
Success meant not just being seen during the Final, but turning fleeting attention into lasting audience engagement, ensuring viewers stayed connected to beIN SPORTS’ premium content throughout the year.
While the Carabao Cup Final presented a great opportunity to engage passionate sports fans, it also created a highly saturated media environment. Countless brands were competing for the same audiences, each deploying heavy budgets and aggressive tactics to capture attention.
For beIN SPORTS, the challenge was to not only break through the noise during this peak moment but also to forge lasting connections that would extend viewership beyond the Final whistle.
Recognizing that peak events like the Carabao Cup Final create both massive opportunity and intense competition, beIN SPORTS knew it needed a more strategic approach to media buying, one that prioritized quality of engagement over sheer volume.
Programmatic technology played a critical role in this strategy.
Leveraging the flexibility and precision of programmatic buying allowed beIN SPORTS to dynamically access premium inventory, optimize media quality at scale, and quickly adjust strategies based on real-time performance insights.
Amazon DSP, one of beIN SPORTS’ core buying platforms, provided the ideal environment to test and implement a more attention-led approach with agility and control.
Rather than focusing solely on traditional metrics like impressions or clicks, beIN SPORTS made a deliberate shift toward attention-driven media, investing in placements with a higher likelihood of capturing real, lasting engagement. This strategy was critical not just for standing out during the Finals, but for building sustained audience interest in the months that followed.
To support this shift, beIN SPORTS integrated ROAD (Responsive, Optimized, Attention-Driven) placements within its programmatic media mix. Built on Adelaide’s AU metric, a proven measure of media quality based on attention potential, ROAD allowed beIN SPORTS to better identify and prioritize high-value inventory.
A controlled A/B test was designed to measure impact: both the test and control groups were assigned identical budgets and targeting parameters, with the only difference being the use of ROAD placements. This rigorous setup ensured a clean, credible view into how optimizing for attention could enhance Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and drive deeper audience connections.
| March | CTR% | CPM | CPC | CPA (Subscription) | ROAS |
| Adelaide | 0.065% | $0.24 | $0.37 | $1.88 | 6.72 |
| Broad | 0.053% | $0.26 | $0.49 | $2.78 | 4.93 |
| April | CTR% | CPM | CPC | CPA (Subscription) | ROAS |
| Adelaide | 0.059% | $0.36 | $0.61 | $3.12 | 4.17 |
| Broad | 0.043% | $0.20 | $0.45 | $5.07 | 2.73 |
Through this smarter, programmatic-led approach, beIN SPORTS was able to navigate the noise of a crowded media moment and set the foundation for continued success beyond it.
Throughout March, we deployed Carabao Cup-specific creatives to tap into the excitement surrounding the finals and capture fans’ heightened attention.
We ensured full coverage across all display placement sizes with tailored assets timed to coincide with key sales periods. The sales message was kept front and center, delivering clarity and urgency to drive immediate action.
Following the conclusion of the Cup, we transitioned to a broader creative approach. Star players remained central to the visual strategy, reinforcing both brand recall and beIN SPORTS’ association with premium sports content. To sustain momentum and fan engagement, we also introduced high-impact video creatives designed to reignite excitement across a wider sports audience.
March: Winning Big During the Final
During the high-stakes Carabao Cup Final period, beIN SPORTS achieved a significant performance uplift. Campaigns optimized with high-attention placements delivered a ROAS of 3.51, outperforming the control group’s 2.54 ROAS, a 38% increase. These drove 4.4X more subscribers compared to the control group.
These results validated beIN SPORTS’ strategic focus on quality engagement, proving that investing in high-attention media could directly translate into higher subscription volumes and stronger returns.
The performance also reinforced Amazon DSP as a high-impact channel for beIN SPORTS during peak sporting moments, combining programmatic precision with premium media access.
April: Sustaining Momentum Beyond the Peak
The momentum didn’t stop with the Final.
Even during the Business-as-Usual period in April, high-attention media continued to outperform expectations. ROAD-optimized campaigns achieved a ROAS of 4.17, compared to 2.75 for the control group, a 51% increase. These drove 1.6X more subscribers compared to the control group.
This sustained uplift demonstrated that attention-led strategies were not only effective during major events but could also deliver consistent, high-quality results throughout the year, helping beIN SPORTS maintain strong engagement and maximize the value of their ongoing content offerings.
Next Steps
beIN SPORTS has now consolidated its traffic on Amazon DSP, exclusively running on ROAD placements.
Looking ahead to the upcoming football season, we plan to deepen the collaboration with ROAD by launching campaigns through additional DSPs integrated with their platform.
“Our goal was not just to win attention during a major sporting event, but to build meaningful, lasting connections for beIN SPORTS with their audiences. By focusing on media quality and attention metrics, we helped turn a high-stakes moment into a sustained growth opportunity.”
“Like all good sports teams, we also constantly look for incremental gains. Adelaide proved to be a great addition to our optimisation strategy and now crucial for our forward planning. Thanks to the team at M+C Saatchi Performance for continuing to strive for better results.”
