The TV advertising landscape is evolving rapidly, and 2025 offers brands an exciting opportunity to achieve new levels of success. With over 35 years of expertise in TV advertising, Diray Media is your trusted partner in navigating this dynamic market. Let’s dive into the trends shaping the future of TV and explore how your brand can create campaigns that drive measurable results.
Your 2025 TV Advertising Playbook: Unlocking Growth Across Every Screen
Welcome to 2025—a year that promises new opportunities for advertisers to engage audiences across the evolving TV landscape. The seismic shifts we witnessed in 2024, from the booming growth of streaming to the enduring relevance of linear TV, have paved the way for a dynamic year ahead. TV continues to prove its unmatched ability to deliver reach, impact, and measurable results. Let’s dive into the trends that will shape 2025 and how you can optimize your TV advertising strategy.
Lower CPMs:A Budget-Friendly Advantage
2024 was a year of major events that captivated audiences and drove record-breaking viewership and ad spending. The Paris Olympics stood out, drawing an average of 30.6 million viewers across NBCUniversal platforms—an impressive 82% increase from the 2020 Tokyo Games. It also became the most-streamed Olympics in history, contributing to a 10% surge in national TV advertising spend. Meanwhile, the heated political campaign season funneled approximately $6.1 billion into TV ad campaigns, accounting for more than half of the total ad spend during this period. These blockbuster events solidified 2024 as a landmark year for advertisers, showcasing TV’s unparalleled ability to engage audiences on a massive scale.
With these high-impact moments behind us, the TV advertising market is entering a calmer phase in 2025, offering brands new opportunities to stretch their budgets. While platforms like Meta and TikTok see CPMs continue to rise, TV—especially streaming—is becoming an increasingly enticing option for cost-effective reach and engagement. Platforms like Netflix and Amazon are expanding their ad inventory while lowering CPMs. This combination of affordability and premium placements positions TV as a key component of any brand’s strategy, delivering measurable results across screens in the year ahead.
Take Action:
Diray Media uses insider knowledge and industry relationships to secure the best rates, helping you make every dollar count. With seamless campaigns across linear and streaming platforms, your audience will see your message wherever they watch.
Streaming Dominates: 193.4M Ad-Supported Viewers:
Streaming platforms are transforming advertising with advanced targeting and scalability. In 2025, more than half of the U.S. population—193.4 million people—are projected to watch ad-supported streaming content. Services like Hulu, Netflix, and Tubi are leading the charge, while Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) options like Pluto and Tubi offer curated, genre-specific channels.
As streaming viewership has exploded, so have subscription costs, turning what was once a cost-effective, ad-free alternative to cable into a pricier option that rivals traditional TV bills. From Netflix to Disney, annual price hikes have pushed more viewers toward ad-supported plans, which offer a more affordable way to stream. For the first time, the majority of streaming sign-ups were ad-supported. Netflix’s ad-supported model recently reached 70 million global monthly active users just two years after it was introduced. This trend is good news for advertisers, as platforms are now prioritizing ad-supported models to attract more viewers and create new opportunities for brands to reach engaged audiences.
Why It Matters:
Streaming not only provides unparalleled targeting options but also reduces audience overlap, helping brands reach entirely new viewers. As ad-supported models gain traction, they offer a scalable and cost-effective way for advertisers to engage audiences across screens, making streaming an essential part of modern TV strategies.
Linear TV: Still a Cornerstone of Success
Despite the surge in streaming, linear TV continues to hold its ground as a key player. While some in the media industry have repeatedly predicted the decline of traditional broadcast TV, linear remains resilient, anchored by its unparalleled ability to deliver live content. When major news breaks, audiences instinctively turn to linear TV for trustworthy coverage and analysis. Similarly, live sports continue to dominate, accounting for 40% of national TV ad spend in 2024—a trend expected to remain steady in 2025. Events like the Super Bowl and MLB playoffs not only attract massive audiences but also create highly engaging advertising opportunities. In fact, 80% of viewers say they tend to remember ads seen during live sports programming, according to a study by LG. Awards shows and other live events further highlight linear TV’s unique power to captivate audiences and deliver impactful advertising moments.
Linear TV has also evolved, effortlessly blending with streaming platforms like Tubi and YouTube TV, which carry linear content to wider audiences. Many live-streamed events, such as NFL games and WWE matches, still originate from linear feeds, proving its continued relevance. With six times the ad impressions of streaming and consistent performance across demographics, linear remains a key player in modern advertising strategies.
Pro Tip:
Think holistically. Combining linear TV’s scale with streaming’s precision creates campaigns that engage audiences across platforms. With Diray Media, you’ll have the tools to seamlessly blend these strategies for maximum impact.
TV as a Retargeting Powerhouse
Traditionally a digital strategy, retargeting has now evolved with the rise of streaming. TV is no longer just about awareness—it’s a performance-driven channel that reaches audiences on screens that demand their attention. In fact, 42% of advertisers plan to increase performance marketing budgets in 2025.
With streaming platforms offering audience data similar to digital, brands can now deliver tailored ads based on prior interactions. For example, a customer who browses but doesn’t purchase may see a personalized ad for the product while streaming their favorite show.
Advancements like first-party data collection and Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) further refine this approach, allowing advertisers to follow up with households exposed to TV ads. The result? Greater efficiency, higher engagement, and a performance boost that outshines traditional prospecting.
Your 2025 TV Advertising Checklist
Building a winning strategy for 2025 requires innovation, flexibility, and expertise. Here’s how Diray Media helps you stay ahead:
– Capitalize on Streaming Growth: Leverage platforms like Hulu and Netflix for precision targeting and measurable results.
– Maximize Linear TV’s Impact: Secure premium placements during live sports and major events to capture highly engaged audiences.
-Leverage Proprietary Data: Use real-time analytics to refine campaigns and ensure your ads resonate with the right audience.
– Stay Nimble: Take advantage of last-minute opportunities, such as discounted inventory and high-value placements.
– Think Holistically: Blend linear and streaming into Total Video Media Plans that maximize visibility and impact across every screen.
Let’s Build Your 2025 Plan
At Diray Media, we don’t just plan TV strategies—we deliver campaigns that drive results. From securing unbeatable ad rates on the biggest networks to crafting integrated campaigns that reach audiences across every screen, we’ll help your brand shine in 2025.
Ready to elevate your TV advertising? Contact us today for a complimentary Total Video Media Plan and take the first step toward success.