Asellus Says It Has Contracts for Guaranteed In-Game Sports Ads. No League, Team or Network Has Shown One.

By Pesach Lattin, based on ADOTAT reporting

Resellers including Asellus are selling local advertisers guaranteed ad slots inside specific live games, team by team and market by market. The University of Georgia says it never authorized Asellus, Cox Media Group or Addressable Media to sell in-game Bulldogs placements, no league, team or network has shown a relationship with Asellus, and a senior ESPN executive says ESPN is investigating.

Why it matters

Live sports is sold as the safest CTV buy because the audience is real and watching in real time. That only holds if the seller can show it has rights to the inventory and proof the ads ran in the game. When a reseller declines to name partners and the rights holders say they authorized no one, the buyer has little to stand on beyond the sales deck. Industry certifications cover fraud, brand safety and malware, not inventory rights, so buyers need rights documentation, placement proof and refund terms written into the order.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. Which network or rights holder supplies this in-game inventory, and will they confirm it to us?
2. Can you name every reseller and platform between our money and the broadcast?
3. What independent proof shows our spot aired inside the live game, not around it?
4. Does any certification you hold cover inventory rights, or only fraud and brand safety?
5. Will the order include a refund if the rights holder disputes your authorization?

Read the ADOTAT investigation

Source: The Field Kit: Live Sports Is CTV's Safest Buy. Georgia Says It Never Authorized the Game Being Sold., ADOTAT

More compliance notes

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• OpenAI and Meta Call AI Rewrites Enhancement. Their New Terms Make You Liable for Ads You Never Read.
• Cox Pitched Reserved Ads Inside Bulldogs Games. Georgia's Rights Holder Says It Authorized No One.