Most ads interrupt.

The best ads amplify.

That’s why billboards in Times Square work (reach), why subway ads get read (captive audience), and why ads on PodPlay replays are something entirely new that deliver: social-media-scale reach, laser-focused targeting, active engagement, and an unbeatable emotional halo.

Why Most Ads Miss the Mark

Every advertiser wants four things:

1. Reach — a big audience.
2. Targeting — the right audience.
3. Engagement — attention, not just impressions.
4. Association — positive feelings tied to your brand.

Very few mediums deliver all four.

• Billboards: Massive reach, but poor targeting and low engagement.
• Subway ads: Massive reach, better engagement (bored commuters), but untargeted and often tied to a negative context (social anxiety).

PodPlay Replays: A New Category

Ads on PodPlay replays check all four boxes — and at a level most mediums can’t touch:

• Reach: In-venue screens + social media sharing = scale that rivals major digital platforms.
• Targeting: Players and fans of racquet sports — one of the fastest-growing, highest-income recreational audiences in America.
• Engagement: Moments of rapt focus, not background noise.
• Association: Fun, humor, athletic excellence — the exact emotions advertisers want.

PodPlay is focused on two placements that maximize sponsor impact:

1. Instant Replays — delivered live in venue.
2. Digital Replays — delivered to phones and shared online.

Instant Replays: The SportsCenter Moment

In-venue, the PodPlay Pro Monitor becomes your own personal SportsCenter.

Every player on the court is locked on the screen, waiting to see their shot — and your brand gets the screen right before the magic plays.

This isn’t just any eyeballs — these are eyeballs at peak emotional intensity, connecting your brand to something memorable.

Digital Replays: Virality on Tap

Right after the match, PodPlay delivers the highlight to every player’s phone and inbox — no extra logins, no friction.

Players share these clips because they’re authentic, emotional, and personal.

With watermarks, sponsors can ride shotgun on content that friends actually want to watch — content that’s organically amplified across social media.

We’re also developing on-screen logo integrations within the replay itself — a subtle but powerful brand placement that travels wherever the clip goes.

Social Media Scale

What does social media scale look like? 

Our latest “Best of Pickleball” reel with Kaitlyn Kerr pulled more than 285,000 views — as many as the previous five editions combined.

That’s the compounding effect of showing up in a repeatable, high-quality format.

This series serves three purposes:

1. Build the PodPlay brand — PodPlay’s mission is to increase the amount of fun being had in the world. The Best of Pickleball with Kaitlyn Kerr is straight up fun.
2. Lift up our partners — showcasing incredible club moments – digital word-of-mouth, at scale.
3. Show the way — giving clubs a template for their own highlight series with built-in sponsorship opportunities. This is content as a tool to create community engagement. It should be a badge of honor to make the monthly top ten! And a highlight series creates a nice "Presented By" sponsorship opportunity for clubs to partner with brands who want to get exposure to their community.

How to Value This Digital Real Estate

Let’s break it down in CPM (Cost Per Mille or Cost Per Thousand Impressions) terms:

• At 285,000 views, a $3,000 monthly sponsorship = ~$10 CPM.
• At the same number of views, a $5,000 sponsorship = ~$18 CPM.

Compare this to benchmarks for the cost of other ad mediums:

• Billboards: $3–$18 CPM (untargeted, low engagement)
• Instagram Ads: $6–$10 CPM (targeted, variable engagement)
• PodPlay Replays: $10–$18 CPM with upside as virality and adoption grow.

And that’s without counting in-club views or replays shared by players directly on their own social media channels. The real effective CPM could be far lower for advertisers — and ROI far higher.

Why Advertisers Should Care Now

This is an emerging ad medium. Market rates aren’t set yet. Early adopters get premium placement and locked-in rates before scale drives pricing up.

For advertisers: This is your chance to own premium real estate in a passionate, high-income sports community at the exact moment they’re most engaged.

For clubs: You’re sitting on inventory that’s both unique and valuable — and PodPlay can help you sell it.

For potential sponsors reading this blog, reach out if you want to get access to this unique digital real estate. We have many racquet sports clubs with PodPlay Pro monitors that we would be happy to introduce you to. 

The PodPlay Advantage

PodPlay gives venue operators all the tools they need to digitally manage a physical space - integrating video replays, digital scoreboards, and autonomous functionality with a reservation engine, event management, coach connect, membership module, and payments. 

Originally built to power PingPod, the network of futuristic autonomous ping pong clubs, PodPlay is now being used to manage venues across pickleball, padel, ping pong, golf simulators, racing simulators, soccer and pool, with more experience verticals to come in the future.

If you’re interested in learning more, request a demo.