Genius Sports Limited released new biometric research conducted with MediaScience showing that ads delivered immediately after emotionally heightened moments in live sports can double unaided brand recall.

The study, The Live Moment Effect, finds that advertising effectiveness is significantly influenced by a viewer’s emotional state immediately before an ad is shown. In controlled biometric testing, ads shown after high-intensity sporting moments, such as near-scoring plays or crucial momentum shifts, delivered approximately double the unaided brand recall of baseline conditions.

The Moment Before the Ad Matters

The research challenges long-held assumptions about media value, showing that not all impressions are equal.

Live sports remain one of the last entertainment formats with large-scale audiences. According to Sports Business Journal, sports accounted for 96 of the top 100 most-watched U.S. telecasts of 2025. But scale alone does not make every impression equally valuable. Fans’ attention rises and falls with the action, making the moments immediately after high-intensity plays especially powerful for advertisers. Cutting through requires knowing when those moments occur and being ready to reach the right fans in real time with messaging tailored to the moment.

Key findings include:

• Emotional intensity immediately before an ad significantly increases memory encoding and recall

• The 60 seconds following a high-impact moment represent the peak window for advertising effectiveness

• Emotional context can have a greater influence on recall than the ad creative itself in real time.

• A Shift from Buying Media to Activating Moments

The findings point to a fundamental shift in how sports media should be planned and valued.

The Live Moment Effect research shows that recall is concentrated around moments of peak emotion. As a result, aligning ad delivery and ad messaging with real-time game context can significantly improve campaign outcomes.

Genius Sports is applying these insights through the Genius Sports Moment Engine, which uses official game data and real-time signals to identify and activate around high-impact moments as they occur. By enabling brands to align campaigns with peak attention windows, the Genius Sports Moment Engine allows advertisers to improve outcomes by optimizing timing rather than increasing volume.

“The sports advertising playbook is being rewritten around the moments when fans are most emotionally engaged. Brands should be present across the full fan journey — pre-game, in-game and post-game — because every stage of the sports experience creates an opportunity to connect. Within that always-on presence, this research shows that certain moments carry extra impact. When a momentum shift, near score or decisive play changes how fans are feeling and focusing, the message should change with it. Genius Sports Moment Engine uses official game data and real-time signals to help advertisers identify those high-impact windows as they happen and tailor campaigns accordingly across every screen,” said Josh Linforth, Chief Revenue Officer at Genius Sports.

“Our research continues to reinforce a principle we’ve observed across the media landscape: context matters. In live sports, emotionally heightened moments prime audiences differently, changing their cognitive and emotional state before an ad is even delivered. When an advertisement aligns with that moment, the context and the creative converge to strengthen memory encoding and significantly amplify recall. That creates a meaningful opportunity for brands to improve performance through real-time, moment-based activation rather than simply increasing media volume,” said Phillip Lomax, Chief Revenue Officer at MediaScience.

The research analyzed viewer response to advertising across varying levels of emotional intensity during live sports, measuring attention, cognitive engagement, and brand recall in controlled environments.

Genius Sports Limited has secured a major technology and AI partnership alongside Liga MX, with GeniusIQ set to power an incredible suite of fan engagement, sponsorship and performance solutions.

As the operating system of modern sport, Genius Sports has deployed GeniusIQ, its data and AI platform, across every Liga MX stadium. GeniusIQ creates a real-time understanding of soccer, combining rich tracking, video and insights to then power real-time advertising activations, augmented broadcasts, semi-automated offsides and data-driven coaching tools.

Genius Sports’ Moment Engine will enable Liga MX sponsors and brands to activate real-time advertising around key moments in games. For example, immediately after a crucial goal, save or substitution, brands can trigger moment-driven campaigns across live broadcasts, digital and streaming.

Already live across the NFL and NBA, the Moment Engine will now enable Liga MX sponsors to act on fan attention and drive a new era of immersive advertising when the live action is at its most compelling.

In partnership with Liga MX and its suite of domestic and international broadcasters, Genius Sports will power augmented altcasts to engage the next generation of fan. Real-time game insights including shot and player speeds, player names, pitch minimaps, number of tackles and much more, will be integrated directly into live broadcasts for millions of fans.

GeniusIQ has a complete, semantic understanding of what is happening on the pitch at any moment. Because it can automatically detect what counts as a shot on goal, it immediately serves a shot speed statistic in real-time, along with a sponsor’s advertising at the opportune moment.

Launched at the start of the ongoing 2026 Clausura season, GeniusIQ is powering the leading Semi-Automated Offside Technology (“SAOT”) in world soccer in Liga MX. When a potential offside incident occurs, the technology automates the kick point and alerts the VAR operators. Genius Sports’ system then delivers a clear 3D render showing an exact offside plane, removing the need for manual lines and providing a decision visual with the best possible angle within seconds.

Also used across the Premier League and Belgian Pro League, Genius Sports’ SAOT has already driven significant improvements across Mexican soccer with fast, transparent decisions.

Liga MX teams will be equipped with Genius Sports’ Performance Studio, the most advanced analytics and video platform in world soccer.

Coaches and analysts from each team will have access to a suite of performance and analytics tools to enhance everything from training to tactics and player development. This includes Genius Sports’ state-of-the-art ProView3D feature, which enables coaches to step into their players’ shoes and review critical match moments, such as a striker before taking a shot or a fullback preparing for a 1v1.

“At Liga MX, we are very happy to close this partnership with Genius Sports, as it represents a significant step in elevating our competition to the standards of the world’s leading leagues. From a sporting perspective, SAOT technology enhances fairness and transparency on the field. At the same time, from a fan and consumption standpoint, the use of advanced data and augmented reality integrations will transform how audiences experience the game,” said Edgar Martínez, VP of Content at FMF.

“Liga MX is the most-watched soccer league in the United States and a growing force in North American sport. The deployment of our next generation data and AI platform, GeniusIQ, will connect every part of that ecosystem, delivering world-leading SAOT while enriching the broadcast and creating premium new commercial inventory for sponsors. This partnership gives Liga MX the infrastructure to grow the league on and off the field,” said Sean Conroy, EVP, North America at Genius Sports.