This FAQ addresses the dynamics marketers must navigate as CTV crosses key tipping points against linear TV.

Media habits keep evolving as digital gains ground faster than traditional declines. Video is absorbing more attention, screens are doing more of the work, and the central battle is for a share of limited consumer time.

Roku wins in Q4 with $1.4 billion in revenues and 145.6 billion streaming hours, cementing its CTV scale and ad growth edge.

Streaming video growth is shifting. Price hikes are slowing subscription revenue gains while ad-supported tiers take on a bigger role. Services must balance consumer fatigue with funding content and unlocking new ad revenues.

Marketers could face a new challenge of podcast fragmentation, requiring more complex media planning.

YouTube TV's win against Disney shows marketers that platform scale now shapes where premium sports ads live.

Industry KPI data shows arts and entertainment ROAS peaked in late Q3, with awards buzz lifting efficiency early.

Disney will fully fold Hulu content into Disney+ by 2026, transforming Disney+ into a broader streaming portal spanning family programming, general entertainment, news, and sports. Hulu’s brand will remain intact inside the app, but its slowing revenue trajectory—expected to reach nearly $12 billion by 2027—has accelerated the logic for consolidation. The strategy becomes more important as Netflix pursues its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, potentially creating the most powerful premium-content library in streaming. Disney must keep viewers inside its ecosystem longer, reduce churn, and strengthen its ad-supported tiers. Success depends on balancing Hulu’s adult content with Disney+’s family identity while expanding perceived value.

NBC News is introducing an ad-free, subscription-based streaming platform that consolidates its full lineup of content, spanning linear broadcasts, podcasts, live channels from NBC-owned stations, and original exclusive reports, into a single application, per Variety. Multiple platforms appeal to user preferences but cause more difficulties for advertisers who are struggling with an increasingly fragmented TV ecosystem.

Disney is moving toward a long-awaited CEO transition, aiming to name Bob Iger’s successor in early 2026 after years of instability. Top internal contenders Josh D’Amaro and Dana Walden have already presented long-range strategies, with the winner set to shadow Iger until his contract ends. The next chief will inherit rising streaming expectations, a $60 billion global parks expansion, and the challenge of reviving major film franchises while managing the decline of linear TV. EMARKETER data shows Disney+ and Hulu subscription revenues will keep rising through 2027, but with slowing growth—raising the stakes for a leader who can execute creatively and operationally.

Amid an ongoing YouTube TV blackout and linear declines, Disney missed analyst estimates in fiscal year Q4. Despite Disney’s streaming growth, the loss of YouTube TV presents a meaningful risk to advertisers because it fractures access to millions of viewers who relied on YouTube TV to watch Disney-owned networks.

Automation, new commerce models, and a fresh generation of consumers are transforming the rules of connection and creativity. Explore the 11 trends shaping the digital future.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their digital ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their social media ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their TV and CTV ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

This benchmark covers how ad buyers can calibrate their total media ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how publishers and solution providers can assess whether their ad revenues align with industry trends.

Big media acquisitions and streaming integrations will contribute to consolidation in connected TV (CTV) ad spending.

Hulu + Live TV and Fubo have struck a deal that will see the streaming platforms merge into a live TV streaming business after initially announcing an acquisition in January. Brands will benefit from access to growing subscribers and vast sports audiences that increasingly embrace digital, as the platforms combine scale with innovative ad formats.

Apple TV and NBCUniversal’s Peacock are partnering to offer a streaming bundle for $15 per month starting Monday. The new bundle provides potential for advertisers who have been hesitant to invest in Apple TV and Peacock respectively because of a lack of proven results.

Disney is raising streaming prices again; Disney+ ad-free will climb to $18.99 per month, Hulu’s ad tier will rise to $11.99, and bundles will increase by up to $3. The hikes follow similar moves by Apple TV+ and Peacock, as subscription inflation outpaces consumer budgets. Nearly half of US adults have altered streaming subscriptions in the past six months, with two-thirds of cancellations tied to high costs. Disney can point to premium franchises, ESPN, and bundles as value, but modest daily engagement gains make retention a tougher challenge in a saturated market.