TV's Future Is Much More Than Connected: A Guide to TV Advertising's Next Golden Era

In many ways, TV has never been better. Time spent with the channel across linear and streaming is only growing, with the average American spending just over 5 hours a day consuming TV content. And the total number of people watching is also on the rise. 

But TV today is undergoing its biggest transformation yet.  

Nielsen reports that in just five years, the number of U.S. households accessing TV content via internet connection has increased by more than 210%. Today, more than 70% of homes have a smart TV, and 83% of Americans are subscribed to a video streaming service. 

For advertisers, streaming TV promises to provide both the accountability of digital and the prestige of traditional TV. But it also comes with inconsistent measurement practices, a highly fragmented landscape, and high prices. For marketers, this poses a challenge. How do you make the most of TV advertising in 2025 and beyond?  

We decided to find out. We started by conducting a survey of more than 300 marketers, dug into research from sources like MRI-Simmons, Statista, Nielsen, and eMarketer, and examined our own clients’ campaigns for successful strategies. Then, we compiled our findings. 

In this report, you'll learn: 

1. Why TV is still one of the most effective ad channels. 81% of TV viewers say a TV ad has influenced a purchase decision, and 63% say they discover new brands through TV. And almost 60% of marketers rate TV’s importance to their marketing strategy as eight or higher on a scale from one to ten.
   
   
2. Linear TV shouldn’t be ignored. 73% of multiscreen ad campaign reach comes from traditional TV. And even in 2024, more than half of marketers agree linear TV offers greater brand credibility, prestige and reach compared to CTV.
   
   
3. Consumers don’t discriminate between forms of TV. 74% of TV households watch both streaming and linear programming monthly. And when asked to define TV, the top answer for consumers is that TV is “anything I can watch on my TV set.”
   
   
4. Maximum reach comes from combining linear and CTV. Dedicating your TV budget to a mix of streaming and linear inventory results in the greatest possible campaign reach.
   
   
5. Why 73% of marketers agree linear and Connected TV work better together to achieve their marketing goals. 

 

How do I get the report?

1. Download the full report here.
2. Or listen to an AI overview produced by NotebookLM.