The Field Kit: Live Sports Is CTV's Safest Buy. Georgia Says It Never Authorized the Game Being Sold.
Asellus says it has contracts for guaranteed in-game sports inventory and that the best proof a client can get is watching its own spot run live. The University of Georgia says on the record it never authorized Asellus, Cox Media Group or Addressable Media to sell in-game Bulldogs placements, and after six weeks of calls no league, team or network has shown a relationship with Asellus.
Read the full investigation on ADOTAT →Key findings
- Resellers are selling local advertisers guaranteed ad slots inside specific live games, team by team and market by market.
- The NFL, NBA, NHL, teams and networks showed no relationship with Asellus to sell their inventory.
- Georgia's sports marketing arm says in-game ad rights sit with the network, which for 2024 meant ESPN and ABC.
- A senior ESPN executive says ESPN is investigating, and networks have started pulling their own game-day logs.
- Asellus founder Carl Francese says the company does not discuss clients, resellers, partners or terms, and has no further comment.
On the record
“We stay in our lanes, meaning certifying only for fraud, brand safety, malware and transparency.”
“It depends.”
The full story, with the documents, the numbers and the responses, is on new.adotat.com. Get ADOTAT in your inbox: subscribe free.