Although a growing percentage of ad spending around TV content is happening through addressable, programmatic, and connected TV channels, making advertising more accountable, holistic campaign metrics that cut across the linear and digital domains remain elusive.

Even before the pandemic, ecommerce channel advertising was attracting a lot of attention from advertisers—especially in verticals like consumer packaged goods (CPG)—as well as retailers, which hoped to add new higher-margin revenue streams to their businesses after seeing Amazon’s success in the area. Amazon had become the No. 3 digital ad seller in the US thanks primarily to placements on its ecommerce property, and companies including Walmart, Target, and eBay had been growing similar businesses.

In 2020, US B2Bs overhauled their marketing and advertising as the coronavirus pandemic eliminated in-person channels. Digital ad spending, never a central part of B2B go-to market strategies, surged.

During a year where investments in most advertising channels shrunk or stalled, connected TV ad spending is poised to keep growing.

Advertisers aren't confident that their digital ads are working: A shift to digital channels in 2020 coincided with changes to tracking and privacy that have shaken advertiser faith.

There are costs to using distribution partners like Prime Video Channel or telecom providers, even though these outlets help streamers expand their viewership. For example, Digiday and BMO Capital Markets estimated that Amazon receives about 30% of the subscription revenues, on average, from publishers that put their OTT services on Prime Video Channels.

Meanwhile, the restaurant, automotive, and insurance and real estate industries reduced their ad spending the least—by less than 16% each. On the media seller side, Lamar Advertising, Outfront Media, Clear Channel Outdoor, and JCDecaux dominate the market.

On today's episode, we discuss whether TikTok is actually a top choice for social advertisers, how it compares with other ad channels, and what to make of the companies current shopping efforts. We then talk about Facebook's "meaningful pivot" around its ad business, the latest Federal Trade Commission suit against the social giant, and whether Reels on the blue app has potential. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Debra Aho Williamson.

For the first time, we forecast viewers for Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel. What to look for in Q2 2021:. If sports ratings start to stabilize after the MLB begins a new season in April (stabilized sports ratings would help TV networks retain ad dollars and give sports leagues more leverage when their TV rights come up for negotiation). Time Spent with TV and Digital Video.

Increased political ad spending contributed to a banner year for connected TV.

Amazon’s ecommerce channel ad revenues will amount to just over three-quarters of the market this year, and we expect its share to grow slightly faster than ecommerce ad spending overall in the next two years. The No. 2 ad seller in this market is Walmart, which we estimate will net 4.9% of ecommerce ad spending in the US this year.

Walmart will net 4.9% of US ecommerce channel ad spending this year, compared with Amazon’s 75.9%. For context, Walmart will account for 5.8% of US retail ecommerce sales this year, vs. 39.0% at Amazon. eBay’s ad business remains smaller, at 1.9% of the ecommerce channel ad market.