The news: 48% of US adults who watch live content on streaming services think ads there are better than those on traditional TV, and just 10% believe traditional TV ads are better, per a Magnite survey conducted in partnership with Bounce Insights. Four in 10 view them as equal.

• 79% are open to seeing the same number of ads or more per hour in live content versus on-demand content.
• 57% think brands that advertise during livestreams are premium, and 51% consider those brands more trustworthy, per Magnite.
• Two-thirds remember ads they saw during their last viewing session.

The opportunity: Livestreamed content enhances viewer perception of the ads they experience, and that goodwill extends to the brands advertising there. This provides a halo of trust around livestreaming, where high ad tolerance and strong recall coexist.

Opportunities for brands to be perceived as premium by advertising through live content could grow as linear TV loses attention; connected TV (CTV) time spent surpassed linear for the first time in 2025, and we expect that gap to widen going forward.

The caveat: Continued high tolerance for ad volume isn’t guaranteed, especially when platforms like Prime Video increase ad loads to capture more CTV attention. As other media owners follow, viewers who sit through ads now could grow tired if frequency isn’t managed well.

High recall also creates tension between attention and overexposure—remembering ads from prior viewing sessions is valuable but could lead to ad fatigue if consumers see the same campaign multiple times.

Recommendations for marketers: Treat current ad tolerance levels as a ceiling to protect, rather than as a target to push through.

• Prioritize high-value moments that match the context of each event.
• Apply frequency caps and rotate creative to preserve viewers’ trust and attention and avoid stumbling into repetitive ad territory.
• Measure recall and evaluate whether repeat exposure adds to brand sentiment or erodes it.

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