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Watching the NFL on Sunday hit me with a big realization- we’re living through a changing of the guard

  • Writer: Robert Eckelman
    Robert Eckelman
  • 9 hours ago
  • 2 min read

The dominance of streaming and the rise of CTVisn’t a trend. It’s a blueprint. The winners of tomorrow are the ones willing to rethink, retool, and run a different play before everyone else realizes the game has changed.

Just like the shift from traditional TV and cable to CTV, the story is the same. At first, nobody saw it coming, then it was underestimated, then dismissed, and now? It’s the clear leader, redefining the entire playing field.


Look at the 2025 NFL season. Who would’ve predicted that teams like the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Chicago Bears, recently the league’s doormats, would be sitting on top of their divisions? Or that rising threats like the Jaguars, Seahawks, and Panthers would suddenly look dangerous?


Who had “Buffalo, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Detroit struggling” on their bingo card? Those teams were powerhouses. We will have to wait and see how things shake out for them. For now, they are clearly struggling.


What flips a script, whether it’s a football team, a media company, or anyone fighting to stay relevant? It’s never magic.


It is studying the field, adding the right talent, updating the playbook. Optimizing every asset. Surprising people when they overlook you. Innovating when others coast. Winning as a team. Being fearless when others play safe.


Just ask a few familiar names:

Drake Maye, a name many barely knew a year ago, now a force.


Sam Darnold, five teams in seven years. Sam had been written off 5 times. The New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings sent him packing, now he is having success with the Seattle Seahawks.


Baker Mayfield, from shining star to fall from grace, only to re-emerge as a superstar for the Tampa Bay. Before the Bucs, he was shipped around the league. Pick first in the 2018 NFL draft he played for the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams.

The underdogs didn’t magically get lucky. They adapted. They evolved. They believed before the world did.


Conclusion: The dominance of streaming and the rise of CTV isn’t a trend. It’s a blueprint. The winners of tomorrow are the ones willing to rethink, retool, and run a different play before everyone else realizes the game has changed.


Whether you're a brand, a business, or a quarterback fighting for one more shot—never underestimate the power of a new playbook

 
 
 

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