Streaming Now Commands Over 60% of TV Viewing Time

What was once a neck-and-neck race for viewing time now has a clear frontrunner: streaming. According to Samba TV’s Q4 2025 State of Streaming report, 60.7% of total TV viewing time now happens on streaming platforms, with streaming gaining a slightly larger share over linear almost every month. That steady lead reflects changing viewer priorities, with seven in 10 U.S. Connected TV users saying they prefer streaming over linear. Nearly half cite broader content choice (47%) and better value for the price (47%), while others point to easier discovery (38%) and faster access to new releases (44%).

Advertisers are already responding with their wallets. Ad spend on CTV is expected to overtake linear TV by 2028, reflecting how closely budgets now track behavior. Linear TV still delivers strong upper-funnel impact, consistently driving gains in ad awareness, purchase intent, and brand favorability. But that advantage is narrowing as CTV technology continues to evolve. Advances in targeting, measurement, and optimization have expanded CTV’s ability to influence outcomes beyond reach alone. The result isn’t an either-or decision. In a fragmented TV landscape, omnichannel TV strategies give marketers the best of both worlds — and position Connected TV as the engine powering what comes next.

Connected TV in the News

Why Sports Is The Fastest Way To Break CTV’s Programmatic Ceiling
AdExchanger
Programmatic helps brands reach TV viewers with targeted precision at much lower costs. But precision isn’t the same as presence, and live sports are the key to unlocking a piece of that pie.

Pairing Streaming With Social Boosts Brand Recall by 5x Over Social Alone
MNTN Research
Streaming and social both dominate attention, but new research from Comcast Universal Ads shows they perform even better together.

TV Ads Are the Most Acceptable Place for Advertising, Study Says
EMARKETER
43% percent of US adults across generations say that TV is the most acceptable place for advertising, proving the format’s enduring effectiveness even as audience attention shifts.