Media Mavens: The Innovid Interview with Colleen Durkin

Editor’s Note: This Q&A is the latest installment in an occasional blog series where Innovid interviews industry thought leaders about their take on the future of advertising and media. This interview originally appeared in Innovid’s report, Winning Big With CTV Advertising on Live-Streamed Sports. 

Colleen Durkin, SVP of Integrated Investment at Assembly, has spent the past two decades in the media buying sector at firms like Mediavest, Zenith Media, and Carat. We tapped Colleen’s wisdom in the interview below on how live-streamed sports will transform advertising for brands by providing unique reach, access to advanced creative, and measurement unavailable via linear TV.

Innovid: How transformative is the shift of live sports to streaming? Is it evolutionary, revolutionary, or somewhere in between?

Colleen Durkin: I believe it's somewhere in between. It’s an evolution of how we are seeing more people consuming sports not in such a linear fashion, but through CTV channels. Where we're seeing more of that revolutionary shift is in how consumers are leaning in, bringing consumers closer to point of purchase with interactive ad formats on CTV. Streaming has completely changed the living room experience. It’s no longer just about watching—it’s about engaging. People interact with content in new ways, and advertisers are finding creative ways to connect with them. The technology behind streaming opens up so many possibilities, making it easier to create more interactive and personalized experiences. It’s changing how we watch, how we connect, and how brands reach their audiences.

Innovid: There are many ways to take advantage of what streaming telecasts offer — multiple cameras, trivia, and in-game betting. Are streamers taking advantage of these opportunities yet?

Colleen: We’re seeing some engagement in the retail space, where you can pull consumers further down the funnel to action — especially when you're seeing those streamers like Amazon enable interaction, like with a QR code on the screen. Both streamers and advertisers are actively testing what works, what doesn’t, and whether the engagement justifies the effort to create the interaction. The focus is on understanding what viewers find valuable and whether they see these interactions as a benefit and a deeper connection, rather than an overload. There is so much more opportunity to build that living room experience beyond just the game and commercial breaks. When you go to a game in person, during the breaks, you engage in the stadium with various activities on the Jumbotron. When I take my kids to a hockey game, they're seeing all the different experiences you can have when there’s no action on the ice. I think it’s possible to transfer those kinds of experiences into the living room. We’ll probably see that change more and more as the technology gets better and as we are actually engaging more as consumers.

Innovid: Do you see younger consumers being more likely to lean in to this kind of interactivity and to watching sports with their mobile phone, their second screen, in their hands?

Colleen: There is a younger skew, because they're more comfortable in that space. They've been in that space longer. Adoption rates can also depend on how avid of a fan you are or what the sport is. With the Olympics this year, Peacock did a ton on their space, which was quite engaging across different sports and across their different communities. And during my weekly Thursday Night Football game on Amazon Prime, I might be paying attention to my fantasy football team. There are many different aspects of how to engage.

Innovid: Where are advertisers leveraging the possibilities of streaming most effectively? Extending their reach? Via advanced creative? Or with enhanced measurement?

Colleen: It's all the above, depending on the advertiser's objectives. Fully tapping into both linear and streaming spaces ensures no audience is left out, whether they engage on one platform or the other. Engaging with the audience across the entire ecosystem is essential. With so many creative capabilities available, standing out and pulling consumers further down the funnel becomes even more achievable, especially through streaming, which offers greater opportunities for creative differentiation than linear. Optimization and measurement play a crucial role in this process, leveraging engagement metrics to determine what resonates and what doesn't. Diving deep into performance across all media ensures campaigns are constantly refined for success. At Assembly, this approach is at the core of what we do. Consistent testing, learning, and optimization ensure every media choice delivers value and drives results. This iterative process keeps campaigns effective and audience engagement high.

Innovid: How have you seen the streaming networks take advantage of what’s available with interactivity?

‍Colleen: I think there’s a lot of testing when we talk about the overlays with QR codes. And there are even the virtual product integrations. I think the easy connection to make with consumers is if they're using your mobile device. We do know that the second screen is still such a popular way for people to consume content even in front of a television.

Learn more about the power of CTV advertising on live-streamed sports. Download Innovid's guide, Winning Big with CTV Advertising on Live-Streamed Sports.

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