The news: TV ad reach among Gen Zers between ages 20 to 24 is expanding across several consumer categories, according to our industry KPI data provided by Samba TV.

TV ad reach is defined as the total number or percentage of unique households or individuals exposed to a TV ad in a given time period; the metric includes both linear and CTV.

• Vehicle manufacturers’ TV ad reach among ages 20 to 24 grew the most YoY, increasing 10% to 15.1 million in June 2026 with notable gains throughout H1.
• Health and beauty ad reach grew 8.1% YoY in this cohort, reaching 15.4 million.
• Retail and apparel grew by 6.9% YoY to 15.7 million, while restaurants also increased 6.9% YoY to 14.9 million.

Why it matters: Gains across verticals reflect the continued importance of TV for reaching younger audiences, even as Gen Zers increasingly favor CTV over traditional linear viewing.

• CTV penetration among Gen Z is high: 81.3% of Gen Z digital video viewers and 79.1% of Gen Z internet users will use CTV this year, per our forecast.
• Streaming video is Gen Z’s leading digital habit, with nearly 97% of Gen Zers watching digital video in 2026, above the 91.5% who use social networks.

Still, TV advertising maintains potential.

• TV ads are effective across generations even as linear consumption declines. Forty-three percent of US adults say TV is the most acceptable place for advertising, per Tenetic and CivicScience, and linear TV boosts purchase intent by 9.6%.
• Linear is also more effective than CTV for message association and brand favorability—indicating that advertisers shouldn’t overlook linear when targeting younger audiences.

Recommendations for marketers: Even as the evolution toward streaming creates new opportunities to reach younger consumers, traditional TV remains a powerful vehicle to reach the same demographic effectively and in an environment where ads are generally viewed as more acceptable.

Marketers targeting the younger consumers driving digital buying growth should follow Gen Zers into streaming without overlooking linear TV, which continues to offer meaningful reach and strong brand impact.

Go deeper: Want more TV ad reach data? PRO+ subscribers have access to Industry KPIs, our collection of more than 400 benchmarks in marketing and retail and ecommerce across a range of industries and countries. Click here for more information.