蘑菇AV

CTV鈥檚 household reach is low, only reaching 19.6% of the 95 million US households using CTV services in 2024. Advertisers struggle to manage ad frequency across CTV platforms, leading to over-delivery to the same viewers and under-delivery to a broader audience鈥攎assively limiting the format鈥檚 potential.

Key Stat: Depending on the severity of tariffs, US linear TV upfront ad spending will decline between $2.78 billion and $4.12 billion during the 2025 broadcast year. This report can help you develop media strategy and allocate budget for campaigns (brands and agencies). Executive Summary. US linear TV upfront ad spending will take a hit this year.

Not the screen time champ: Netflix remains the most-used subscription video service in the US, accounting for 69% of connected TV users, per LG Ad Solutions. But it still isn鈥檛 the leader in time spent. Netflix鈥檚 total share of TV time (7.5%) now lags behind YouTube (12.4%) and Disney (10.7%), per Nielsen. YouTube鈥檚 rise, especially among Gen Z, signals a generational shift.

The news: In the wake of Google鈥檚 impressive earnings report, YouTube is getting more creative AI tools on YouTube Shorts for both creators and advertisers. YouTube added an image-to-video generative AI (genAI) tool to Shorts, which can turn a photo into a 6-second video, powered by Google鈥檚 Veo 2. It also introduced AI-powered tools that resize ads to fit Shorts鈥� format. Our take: These new tools could help YouTube outpace rivals by combining TikTok-style virality with Google鈥檚 deep AI infrastructure. Instead of recycling or repurposing long-form assets, marketers should push more budget to testing Shorts-first content. A/B testing with Shorts鈥� new AI resizing tool and audience-specific, unique content for mobile and CTV can help determine which content can be converted with AI for both platforms and which needs to be remade and retargeted.

The news: Netflix and Fox are closing Upfronts on a high note, with ad success driven by live sports and original programming. Netflix anticipates that it will 鈥渞oughly double鈥� its ad revenues in 2025 from 2024 after a strong second quarter. Our take: Netflix鈥檚 and Fox鈥檚 success underscores that high-quality, tentpole programming still commands advertiser trust even as broader ad growth slows. Live sports remains a critical touchpoint for advertisers, delivering consistent audience growth and high engagement and attention. Channels that invest in sports鈥攚hether streaming or linear鈥攚ill attract interest.

Over 1,600 US adults were polled in April. Digging into the trend: 71% of respondents said they go to Google or Bing at least occasionally when they have a question about a medical symptom or condition. Among this sample, nearly two-thirds (65%) say they have seen AI-generated responses at the top of search engine results.

The news: Small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners are preparing for a recession鈥攁nd marketing is first on the chopping block, per a report from Clarify Capital. 28% of SMB owners say cutting marketing or ad spending is the first action they鈥檒l take in the event of a recession鈥攈igher than any other category. Our take: Preparing for a recession is a necessity for SMBs that will be hit the hardest, but for those that deem reduced marketing budgets as a core strategy, it鈥檚 critical to take an approach that will save costs without sacrificing reach.

Adoption has also surged in customer service and analytics, with 74% of US CEOs now reporting AI use in both areas鈥攗p from 52% and 65%, respectively. At the same time, foundational tools that support AI-driven operations dominate today鈥檚 tech stacks.

The news: Pause ads are gaining momentum as a promising format that boosts the potential of connected TV (CTV) ads to capture user attention, per findings from a Magna and DirecTV study. Our take: While pause ads promise potential, advertisers must implement strategies that increase their鈥� appeal to drive measurable outcomes. Viewers across age groups prefer pause ads that offer the ability to save offers/reminders. And younger generations favor pause ads that have clickable buttons linking to the brand鈥檚 site or app (53% for Gen Z and 50% for millennials) or that offer scannable QR codes.

The overall time that US consumers spend with media at large is expected to remain fairly flat this year, only growing 0.5%, according to 蘑菇AV's June forecast. However, the digital is in the details. The average time US consumers spend per day with traditional media is forecasted to fall 4.4%, however, time with digital media is expected to grow 3.0%.

Follow us on Instagram. Episode Transcript:.

The news: CBS is ending 鈥淭he Late Show with Stephen Colbert鈥� next year, an announcement the titular host made during taping for his Thursday show, sparking controversy and speculation. The move came days after Colbert criticized CBS parent company Paramount on air, saying it paid a 鈥渂ig fat bribe鈥� when settling a lawsuit with Trump worth $16 million. Our take: Though politics and Paramount鈥檚 sink-or-swim pending merger may have influenced the swiftness of 鈥淭he Late Show鈥� cancellation, the ultimate cause likely boils down to the traditional TV model floundering.

The news: Walmart鈥檚 $2.3 billion Vizio acquisition may have only closed last December, but the retailer is already unlocking outsize value from the deal. Our take: Walmart is squeezing every drop of value from its Vizio deal by fusing hardware, software, data, and retail media into a self-reinforcing flywheel. Making Vizio a Walmart-exclusive private label gives the retailer tighter control over pricing and distribution, while Vizio鈥檚 OS and shoppable-TV features unlock new streams of nonendemic ad revenues. By combining its in-house ad network with ONN TVs powered by Vizio software, Walmart is positioning itself to own the entire living-room stack鈥攆rom screen to checkout. The result is a powerful closed-loop media system that can rival Amazon鈥檚 Fire TV ecosystem. The retailer鈥檚 timing couldn鈥檛 be better: We expect retail media CTV ad spending to surge 47.4% this year to $4.84 billion, and to more than double to $10.72 billion by 2029.

Marketers appear to be hedging bets: 55% of US marketers planned to keep their Upfront TV budgets unchanged as of April, while 16% expect to cut spending by up to 49%, per iSpot. Scatter budgets look slightly more flexible, with 25% planning to increase allocations. This cautious spending environment underscores why NBCU鈥檚 performance is so notable.

Top-line time spent with media will grow very little in the US going forward, making it essential to identify which formats and platforms are winning the newly zero-sum competition for consumer attention.

The Trade Desk will join the S&P 500 on July 18, a milestone that highlights the company鈥檚 growing importance in the ad tech space. TTD has recently introduced tools like Deal Desk and AI-powered video placements via Kokai and Rembrand, all while vocally criticizing Amazon鈥檚 bundling practices. Despite a 30% YTD decline in stock price, the company鈥檚 Q1 revenue rose 25%, and retention remained above 95%. With Ventura OS on the horizon and renewed leadership in place, TTD is positioning itself as a transparent, open-web alternative to Big Tech鈥檚 walled gardens鈥攋ust as it prepares to enter a new phase of institutional visibility.

鈥淭he lines between social media and CTV are blurring, with more people watching social videos and creator content on TV sets,鈥� said our analyst Jasmine Enberg. 鈥淢arketers must break down the silos between media and creative and think more holistically about their video strategies.鈥�

The news: The battle for streaming dominance is heating up between Netflix and YouTube, as both look to assert themselves in an increasingly crowded field. The platforms accounted for 20% of all TV viewing time in May, per Nielsen data. Our take: YouTube鈥檚 appeal as a (mostly) free platform means it鈥檒l likely continue its dominance鈥攂ut all hope isn鈥檛 lost for Netflix, which continues to lead in paid streaming offerings. YouTube鈥檚 ad-supported free model reinforces its lead against Netflix鈥攂ut Netflix can compete better if it can justify its premium price with exclusive content and an improved user experience.