Connected TV Is the Fastest Growing Ad Channel

We’ve known Connected TV has been growing fast, but now EMARKETER has identified it as the fastest-growing ad channel in 2024 — with ad spend surpassing those of search, social, and retail media. The reason is clear: advertisers are following consumer behavior. Two-thirds of the U.S. population use CTV and spend more time there than ever. In fact, average daily watch time is expected to grow from 1 hour and 22 minutes in 2020 to 2 hours and 37 minutes by 2026. In response, 61% of advertisers say they plan to increase their CTV ad budgets to reach this expanding audience.

CTV offers clear advantages over traditional TV, including precise audience targeting, real-time measurement, and a 98% video completion rate. But it still faces a number of challenges, with 39% of advertisers citing concerns about transparency in ad placements and the lack of standardized measurement across platforms. To combat these issues, many platforms are turning to new innovations — Amazon Prime’s ad-supported tier is adding new inventory, pause ads are introducing creative engagement opportunities, and smart TV brands like LG and Samsung are enhancing their platforms for interactive and shoppable experiences.

Connected TV in the News

Viewing Rises 5% in January, Disney Dominates With 12% Share
MediaPost
TV and streaming viewing grew 5% in January versus December, largely due to end-of-season sports programming and big TV news viewership gains.

4 Mother’s Day Advertising Trends That Will Give Your 2025 Campaign a Boost
MNTN Research
To understand what Mother’s Day might look like for advertisers this year, we dug into first and third party data. Here are the top four trends we uncovered.

Max Says It’s Game Over for Sports Tier Add-On 
EMARKETER
After previously announcing that a B/R Sports add-on would become available to Max subscribers at an additional cost, Warner Bros. Discovery is changing its game plan.