In today’s TV environment, ad impressions are just part of the total picture for advertisers. Reaching a larger audience is ideal for many brands, after all. But targeted spots can more directly speak to business outcomes, and help better validate advertising budgets.
iSpot’s new Q3 Unified TV & Video Ad Snapshot uses data from September 2025 to highlight which networks big box retail visitors were most likely to be watching—providing key insights for how those advertisers can maximize reach among target shoppers. Utilizing data like this helps brands optimize TV ad budgets and reduce waste, isolating programming that reaches consumers likely to visit physical and/or web locations, and potentially make a purchase.
In September, it was notable that NFL rightsholders were big winners for big box retailers.
NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and ESPN all reached over 55% of big box shoppers, which significantly outpaced other networks. Though those networks are not exclusively dedicated to the NFL; NFL games also have the highest ad reach of programming that appeared during the month.
Similarly, NFL Network reached over 30% of big box retailers on the month, leaning primarily on NFL highlights and game re-airs.
Though broadcast networks and ESPN inventory are bound to be pricier inventory for advertisers, data like this—highlighting targeted reach—also shows how the networks are worth the increased cost for big box retailers and other industries with similarly high audience overlap.
For advertisers lacking NFL budgets though, there are key takeaways around where to find valuable targeted reach—with USA Network and CW programming also reaching a significant share of big box shoppers, at a lower cost.
Curious to understand more about what your own audience is watching, and how to target advertising accordingly? Download iSpot’s Q3 Unified TV & Video Ad Snapshot to see more and get in touch with the iSpot team.