Even in the era of viral TikToks and Internet memes, TV remains a primary marketing channel for brands. Global TV advertising spend is nearly $340 billion per year, and in the US, it accounts for nearly one-fifth of overall marketing budgets. Many live sports and tentpole programming – from the NFL to the Olympics – continue to attract record audiences, often on new digital streaming platforms like Prime, YouTube, and Peacock.
But with hundreds of platforms and ad-tech partners, navigating the future of TV advertising is fraught with challenges. A single campaign with a connected TV (CTV) partner can become a sprawling measurement challenge, with content run across upwards of 25 or more distribution points, including national linear, over-the-top (OTT) streaming apps, smart TVs, programmatic ad platforms, set-top box addressable inventory, and more.
To help focus your ad dollars and team resources, and maximize your impact across every screen, these are nine major trends to keep an eye on in 2025.
1. CTV and streaming growth
Streaming viewership has already eclipsed both cable and broadcast TV in total viewing time. Now, CTV is the fastest growing media channel, with ad budget volumes increasing almost 20% each year, accounting for one-third of total TV ad spend. This growth is driven by:
- Increased “cord cutting” as consumers seek more flexible, on-demand viewing options outside of traditional cable
- The proliferation of streaming services offering both ad-supported and ad-free tiers
- Improvements in ad targeting and measurement capabilities on CTV platforms
For advertisers, CTV offers a powerful combination of digital precision with the high impact of premium video content. But the fragmented media landscape also presents challenges to CTV data activation and measurement, requiring brands and agencies to find new solutions together.
2. Addressable advertising
Unlike traditional TV ads broadcast to all viewers, addressable advertising allows for precise targeting of specific households or even individual viewers. This level of granularity allows for more relevant ad experiences for consumers, increased campaign efficiency, and superior return on ad spend (ROAS).
In the CTV ecosystem, traditional cookie-based targeting is largely ineffective. Instead, advertisers must adopt more sophisticated data collaboration platforms that can integrate various identifiers and data sources. This might include authenticated login data from TV apps or services, hashed emails (HEMs), or pseudonymized household IDs.
These data platforms enable the creation of trusted, addressable audiences across both linear TV and CTV environments, maximizing your overall reach and engagement.
3. Cross-screen measurement and currency
As consumer viewing habits splinter across devices and platforms, the importance of cross-screen measurement has never been greater. Advertisers need a holistic view of campaign performance across linear TV, CTV, digital video, and beyond to fully understand customer interests and ROAS.
This shift is leading to innovative adtech solutions such as:
- The emergence of new currencies beyond traditional gross ratings points (GRPs)
- Increased focus on outcome-based measurements tied to conversions or sales
- Advanced identity resolution technologies to connect TV ad exposures across screens
Cross-screen data allows brands to optimize their media mix, reinforce messages across channels with retargeted campaigns, and ultimately drive better business results through advertising.
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9 Trends Shaping the Future of TV Advertising in 2025 | LiveRamp