蘑菇AV

Streaming services are using games to boost engagement, while phone providers and console creators compete for on-the-go gamers.

Key stat: Netflix was found to have the lowest percentages of ads per program, per a Sherwood assessment of the percent of time spent viewing ads on streaming services' ad-tiers versus the percent of time watching popular shows. Disney+ had the highest percentage, with 16.6% of time spent watching ads while streaming an episode of "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.".

The total includes separately branded Twitch and Freevee streaming services. Disney also surpasses 10% when its separate brands鈥擧ulu, ESPN, and Disney+鈥攁re combined. Hulu and Disney+ together will capture 10.8% of CTV ad sales in 2026. We do not have an estimate for ESPN ad revenues.

The news: Apple TV+ is offering a free preview of the streaming service this coming weekend, leveraging traditional cable marketing tactics to boost subscribers ahead of the 鈥淪everance鈥� Season 2 premiere, as the platform seeks to expand its 0.2% share of TV viewership. The strategy mirrors legacy cable networks鈥� 鈥渇ree weekend鈥� promotions but with a digital-first approach.

Connected TV is no longer a niche ad channel鈥攊t鈥檚 the new normal. With streaming platforms adding ad-supported tiers and Amazon flooding the market with inventory, CPMs are dropping while ad opportunities expand.

The move also underscores efforts to compete against Mercado Libre鈥檚 ad-supported streaming service, Mercado Play. However, even with the rollout in Brazil, Amazon鈥檚 retail media business in Latin America will still be roughly a third of the size of Mercado Libre鈥檚. Smaller and midsize retail media networks (RMNs) will face immense competition.

OTT digital video services are now popular everywhere, although fee-based sub OTT is not yet mainstream in every country. The outlook is positive for both free and paid OTT around the world, but growth will slow significantly.

Sub OTT streaming services are extraordinarily popular in the US, but until recently, many of the largest platforms were inaccessible to advertisers. Because of this, the medium features low ad revenues and high time spent鈥攖he biggest gap of any digital media category we track. Netflix is the primary example of this phenomenon.

Trickle down: The costs of web publishers and streaming services paying more to ISPs could be passed to consumers and disproportionately affect internet users in rural areas. Since rural areas often have fewer ISP options, ISPs could slow or block web content if those customers aren鈥檛 willing to pay extra.

YouTube could be an exception as more creators license their content to streaming and CTV services. Branded content will become more common. Brands could sponsor an existing creator series, hire a creator to develop original content, or collaborate on programming in other ways, like product placement. YouTube Shorts will rise as an influencer marketing platform.

Watching fee-based streaming services has become mainstream but not universal. Among those who do watch, sub OTT is extraordinarily popular. Sub OTT users spend far more time per day (2:37) with their chosen services than social network users spend with theirs (1:52). Netflix has a substantial lead among sub OTT platforms, but two newer players are growing time spent the fastest.

Our take: As ad-free streaming services grow, Rembrand's AI-powered approach to product placement could provide brands a scalable way to reach ad-resistant audiences.

2025 is a crucial year for Netflix鈥檚 future: The streaming leader鈥檚 first sports rights deal begins in days, teeing up future opportunities.

While Apple TV+ lost money, Services revenue hit $96.2 billion in 2024鈥攕howing Apple鈥檚 broader ecosystem is carrying the weight of its content ambitions.

And those YouTubers are also now developing shows with a repeatable format that makes them more easily transferable to TV and streaming services. This year, I do expect that we'll see more Hollywood studios and streaming services go after creators. (20:04):. I wrote about this in our larger trends to watch report this year, but the success of Mr.

With device price hikes looming, carriers are betting on their service-first models but may need to fight harder to retain cost-conscious customers.

Most upfront digital video ad spending flows to streaming services that are primarily watched on TV screens. 蘑菇AV three-fourths of upfront digital video spend will go to CTV this year. Netflix and Amazon hosted their first in-person upfront events this May. Few streaming services exclude advertising anymore. 蘑菇AV half of all US CTV ad spending will be sold upfront in 2024.

Streaming and theaters converge: Hybrid release strategies redefine holiday entertainment, with Amazon and Netflix building awareness through box office hits.

The BBC iPlayer and Netflix鈥檚 streaming service both launched in 2007, and by 2014, there were nearly 20 million CTV users, per our forecast. That number more than doubled by 2020; steady increases have followed and will continue. Rapid replacement cycles will see smart TVs proliferate.