Advertising on streaming platforms is no longer at the margins—it’s squarely in the mainstream. As of March 2025, streaming accounted for 43.8% of overall TV time in the U.S.—an increase of 10 points over two years. Meanwhile, linear TV’s primetime ad sales continue a gradual decline—2025-26 primetime ad sales were down 2.5% from the previous upfront, dropping by $1.2 billion since 2023-24 upfronts.
For brands, this shift is driving a full-scale reevaluation of media strategy: where to reallocate budgets, how to measure results and how to avoid wasted spend in new formats. Members of the Senior Executive CMO Think Tank—a curated group of marketing leaders with deep expertise in brand storytelling, digital advertising and more—discuss how the shift to streaming media should influence advertising investment decisions, where the biggest opportunities lie in connected TV, and how to spot and manage risks.
Show Up Where Viewers Actually Are
“Connected TV isn’t just the future; it’s the now,” says Evan White, CMO of ERIN, an enterprise employee referral platform. “And if your brand is still thinking in terms of 30-second pre-rolls, you’re already behind.”
White explains that ERIN isn’t currently placing traditional TV ads but is closely tracking how viewer behavior continues to evolve—especially with YouTube taking over living room screens. “It’s no longer about TV versus digital. It’s about showing up where your audience actually is,” he says.
That thinking has led ERIN to invest in original, screen-first programming through a partnership with Purple Acorn. “We’re producing news-style shows, podcasts and segments featuring industry voices and real stories,” White says. “It’s authentic, it’s human and it’s made to be watched on any screen—especially the big one.”
For White, today’s opportunity is all about “relevance at scale.” But he does sound a note of caution for advertisers.
“The risk? It’s thinking like a brand, not a creator,” he says. “Viewers don’t care about your media mix. They care if what you’re showing is worth their time.”
Leverage Data to Reach and Speak to Your Audience
“Connected TV is shifting investment toward precision over reach,” says Boris Dzhingarov, CEO of ESBO Ltd., a global digital advertising agency. “Its real power lies in marrying TV’s storytelling with digital targeting.”
For Dzhingarov, the standout benefit of connected TV is the ability to pair creative with robust audience data. “The biggest opportunity is measurable, data-driven engagement at scale,” he says.
Still, he warns that brands must tread carefully. “Don’t treat it like traditional TV. Without audience insights and frequency control, efficiency and trust erode quickly.”
Consider Targeting New, Niche Audiences
“Relevance and presence are assets within branding that help capture an audience,” says Paul L. Gunn Jr., Founder of KUOG Corporation, which provides supply chain and program management solutions for government and private-sector clients. “When leveraged strategically, the targeted reach of streaming TV can be meaningful to a brand.”
Gunn stresses that, to create real impact, brands must be prudent when determining the right balance of marketing spend. Still, that doesn’t mean they need to stay in their traditional lanes—or avoid tighter targeting. He cites sports and gaming as potential areas to focus on, as they combine niche audiences with universal appeal.
“Highly targeted ads in these spaces can deliver measurable results,” he says. “From MLS to Formula 1 to video games that support ads, it can be worthwhile for a brand to revisit a comfortable spend to test what works—discovering a new, revenue-driving audience is worth pursuing.”
Even so, Gunn says, it’s important to keep an eye on ROI.
“As with any marketing spend, if measurement becomes difficult, deploying resources blindly can be costly,” he says. “Brands should stay mindful of where money is going and ensure spending drives momentum.”
“The best brands aren’t pushing ads—they’re earning attention with content that connects, engages, and sticks.”
Earn Attention Through Connection
“Relevance wins,” says Daryl Travis, Founder and Chairman of Brandtrust, which applies behavioral science to brand building. “Brands that stop talking about themselves and start speaking to their audience always come out on top.”
He says the rise of streaming TV provides the clearest evidence of this principle. “The best brands aren’t pushing ads—they’re earning attention with content that connects, engages and sticks,” Travis says.
So what should be the end goal of brands sharing messaging on CTV? Travis says it’s building community—and demonstrating impact.
“It’s not about selling. It’s about mattering.”
What Marketing Leaders Should Do Now
- Show up where your audience actually is. Treat CTV as its own platform, not just a TV extension, and design content that feels native to streaming screens.
- Pair storytelling with data. Use connected TV’s targeting capabilities to make every impression count, and monitor frequency to maintain trust and efficiency.
- Experiment in niche but high-engagement spaces. Test verticals like sports and gaming to find new audiences, then scale what works.
- Focus on connection over conversion. Build campaigns that create relevance and emotional resonance, turning passive viewers into engaged brand communities.
Turn Streaming Momentum into Strategic Growth
Connected TV isn’t a nice-to-have marketing option anymore—it’s a central part of the media mix. As viewing habits continue to shift toward streaming, brands have a rare opportunity to reach audiences with greater precision, more creativity and measurable ROI. But success isn’t just about moving dollars from linear to streaming; it’s about rethinking how you tell your story, how you use data and how you measure impact.
The brands that win in this space will be those that act like creators, not advertisers—those that produce content people actually want to watch, use targeting and frequency wisely, and keep a close eye on performance metrics. Get those elements right, and connected TV becomes more than a channel—it becomes a growth engine.
