The CTV Trends Report

Introduction

As 2025 takes shape, the streaming TV landscape is both thriving and changing, driven by technological advancements and shifting consumer behaviors. This report offers a temperature check on the connected TV (CTV) environment, focusing on the content experience, session lengths, viewing hours, and the evolving ad experience.

Our Wurl data should be seen in the context of a rapidly growing industry:

Today, over 80% of U.S. households have at least one connected TV device and streaming now accounts for 41% of total TV time, a significant rise from 31% two years ago.

Linear audiences are continuing to move to streaming, a trend that is likely to continue as live sports, which have been a hallmark of linear TV, begins to shift to streaming. A report by PWC projected that the number of U.S. viewers who stream a sports event at least once a month will increase to 90 million in 2025.

As audiences move to streaming, they are seeking out free content. Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is seeing a significant uptick in adoption – 47% of U.S. households now engage weekly with FAST.

Ad spend on CTV is looking rosy, with eMarketer estimating that U.S. CTV ad spending will reach $32.57 billion in 2025 — nearly double its 2021 levels. In fact CTV growth is beating out all other categories of ad spend. A study from the IAB found that CTV — specifically streaming TV and not other digital video — is projected to be the fastest growing ad spend category in 2025: beating out social media, digital video, and paid search.

With viewership growing and ad spend increasing — what does that mean for the trajectory of free streaming TV? How is viewer behavior changing? And how is the ad experience evolving?

We analyze each of those in this report.

The CTV market is maturing and how viewers consume content is changing. While streaming TV has established itself as a primary viewing destination, it hasn’t reached its full potential – with overall growth leveling off in terms of both time spent and monetization. 2025 will be a year of reckoning for many – publishers and streamers must seek new ways to reach, engage, and monetize viewers, while advertisers need to rely on better data and targeting strategies to drive more effective outcomes.

Dave Bernath

General Manager, Americas, Wurl

The content experience

This rapid adoption of streaming and connected TV devices is reshaping viewer behavior in meaningful ways. As audiences become more accustomed to digital-first experiences, engagement patterns are evolving—impacting everything from session lengths to content discovery. While broad industry reports highlight the macro-level shifts, our own data provides a closer look at how these trends are playing out in real time.

Average Session Lengths continue to plateau

Average Session Length measures the duration a user spends on a single channel before switching or ending their viewing session. The Average Session Length is important because it provides some insight into how engaged viewers are with the content they find on streaming TV. Longer session lengths could imply greater loyalty and more ad revenue for the content company or streamer.

In the below chart, we can see session lengths dropped around Q2 2023 (remember the writers’ strike began on May 2, 2023), falling further in Q3 2023 (by 15.95% compared to Q3 2022), and have not quite recovered to their prior levels. In fact, session lengths in Q3 of this year were their lowest since 2021. There does seem to be a small seasonal dip in Q3 every year, maybe due to July and August weather, but 2024 saw a marked drop.

That said, there are some recent positive trends and signs that Q3 may have been an anomaly. Wurl data shows recent shoots of growth in Average Session Length – for example, session lengths were up in Q2, and increased by 7.24% between Q3 and Q4 2024.

All data in this report is normalized to the most recent quarter to ensure consistency, comparability, and accurate trend analysis across different time periods, as well as to preserve the privacy of our clients and partners. See the ‘Methodology’ section at the end for more information on how we use normalization when sharing data Wurl has access to.

Average Session Length grew in Q4 2024

For consideration: Average Session Lengths

Even though there is a vast amount of streaming content to watch, today’s audiences are often dual-screening and feel the pull of snappy, entertaining content on their mobile devices. If streaming content strategies don’t prove to be just as engaging, audiences have an easy alternative at their fingertips.

In addition, content discovery remains a key challenge for streaming. After first picking up their remote, viewers commonly settle into a ‘mood’ for their session and are more easily influenced by content strategies that grab and hold their attention from the start. In fact, past studies by TVision found that the first app or channel matters: the majority of CTV viewing time (78.8%) is spent playing content, with only 4.3% spent browsing or switching between apps.

Content companies looking to win share, need to not only keep audiences engaged with compelling content, they also need to ensure they’re top of mind early on — since they’re battling for a small part of the ‘decision’ portion of a session, before the long ‘watching’ portion that is harder to disrupt.

Keeping this in mind, forward-thinking streamers and publishers should ask themselves, what strategies do you have to:

Extend session lengths?

Enable easier discovery?

Make content and experiences more engaging?

Minimize the disruptiveness of ad breaks?

Find a way to make the TV experience more personalized?

Innovation may be required to increase time spent in CTV

Average Daily Hours of Viewing (HOV) tracks the total time the average user spends watching CTV daily. This chart provides insights into the fluctuations in streaming viewership over time. By setting the most recent complete year as a baseline, we can observe the variations in viewing patterns.

Average Daily Hours of Viewing are holding steady

In the chart above, you’ll notice that HOV in 2024 — while still significantly higher than in 2020 or 2021 — is still slightly down from 2023. This may indicate that while audiences at large are continuing to move to streaming, for the upward trajectory for time spent with streaming to persist, it may require ongoing investment in programming and innovation.

Next, let’s look at how HOV trends are playing out quarter over quarter. We saw a slight dip in Average Daily Hours of Viewing for Q4 2024, but in general, recent quarterly trends were favorable. Q2 2024 beat its equivalent 2023 quarter by 0.72% and Q3 2024 tipped the scales at 2.24% above the 2023 figure. Indeed, Q1 2025 is headed toward a strong performance, with a 3.13% increase in HOV versus last quarter, as well as an increase when compared year over year with 2023.

Normalized Average Daily Hours of Viewing were highest in Q2 and Q3

For consideration: Average Daily Hours of Viewing

There is no question that the streaming TV industry is continuing to grow, but it seems that recent growth may be driven by audience adoption, rather than engagement. Solving for engagement and growth in hours of viewing is important because it should equate to a bigger portion of consumers’ overall media consumption, and thus market share. For streamers and publishers who are investing in their streaming strategy and continuing to see growth in HOV, it’s a sign they are on the right path.

It is clear in our data that FAST content has proven to be enticing enough to grow a bigger slice of the attention pie over the years, and with the increased emphasis in user experience on streaming, we expect this trend to intensify as more streaming-native experiences appear on the largest screen in the home.

However, now is not the time for the industry to rest on its laurels. There is still volatility in terms of hours of viewing. For younger viewers, in particular, the rise of short-form and social video is a key trend. Platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels are stealing attention from long-form TV content with mobile-first, bite-sized content. Some 15% of YouTube Shorts content is now viewed on CTV. So for content companies thinking about the rest of 2025: what is your YouTube strategy? How can you drive engagement with your own premium content on the big screen?

The ad experience

As more ad budgets pour into streaming TV, we wanted to highlight a few metrics to help provide a clearer picture of the current landscape. Key indicators such as Ad Load and Ad Fill Rates highlight the changing balance between content delivery, viewer experience, and advertiser demand. These trends reflect how the CTV market is adapting to growing demand for ad-supported content and shifting viewer preferences, but first, some context.

Ad market overview

Ads are an important part of the streaming mix, in 2025 as much as ever. According to Statista, 64% of U.S. CTV users prefer ad-supported content if it allows them to pay less for streaming services. 69% of CTV viewers prefer free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels over subscription-only services.

Streaming TV is also now building its reputation as a performance channel, with 65% of marketers recognizing its potential to drive measurable results. A significant 52% of these marketers are leveraging CTV to enhance web visits and revenue generation.

But that isn’t to say brand advertising is not a key part of the mix: a large-scale mixed-media modeling study based in the UK found TV and Broadcast video on demand (VOD) to be the most efficient advertising channels for ROI, both in the short- and long-term. TV generated 41.5% of all short-term media-driven profit measured in the study.

This high level of engagement not only reflects the growing trust in CTV as a viable advertising medium but also highlights its ability to deliver tangible outcomes for brands.

Ad Load continues to sit around 9 minutes

Ad Load measures the total amount of advertising content viewers are exposed to within a given hour of programming. As we covered in the 2024 CTV Trends Report, Ad Load peaked in July 2023, and has been fluctuating at a lower baseline for the following quarters.

Ad Load slipped below 9 minutes in Q3 2024, before recovering

CTV publishers and streamers seem to be aligning around a new normal for Ad Load, roughly 9 minutes per hour. Most recently Ad Load was 9.01 minutes in Q4, up slightly from 8.94 minutes in Q3 2024. Of course, this is still significantly less than what traditional linear TV viewers typically experience – where Ad Load is a whopping 15 minutes per hour.

For consideration: Ad Load

The amount of advertising content per hour directly impacts the viewer experience. Excessive Ad Load can lead to viewer dissatisfaction and ad fatigue, while a balanced Ad Load can enhance viewer engagement and content enjoyment. Younger viewers are used to a more ‘ad-free’ experience than older viewers, growing up with subscription VOD rather than cable. Despite this, younger viewers (ages 16 to 34) show higher acceptance of live TV ads at 69%.

Even though demand has been increasing for CTV, publishers haven’t been increasing their Ad Load. This is a sign that supply is still outpacing demand in CTV. However, this relatively low baseline of Ad Load is an indicator that the industry still has room to grow. The variance between Ad Loads in CTV and linear means that as audiences continue to shift — and advertiser demand begins to keep pace with supply growth — additional revenue can be found from simply increasing ad volume.

Ad Fill Rates impacted by surge in election and surge in supply

Ad Fill Rate tells us what percentage of the available ad spots are actually matched with a paying ad. This number is linked to the actual render rate of inventory filled with viewed impressions. On a micro-level Ad Fill Rate can change depending on who’s providing the ad space, their experience, and how good their teams are at securing ad placements either through direct IOs or sourcing demand through the programmatic ecosystem. At the aggregate level, it shows how successfully the industry is converting ad units into ad placements.

The October bucked the trend for lower Ad Fill Rates in 2024, likely due to election

As we noted last year, and was reported on heavily in the media, increased inventory on CTV has led to decreased Ad Fill Rates, as demand has not kept pace with the proliferation of supply. Simply put, there’s a ton of channels and ad opportunities, but advertisers are still lagging behind, leaving some of the ad space unfilled.

In fact, in 2024, every month but October saw lower Ad Fill Rates than the year before (October actually posted a +4.76% YoY increase). Of course, October was the month before the U.S. national elections, where there was a glut of political advertising — but even October 2024 did not surpass the earlier fill rates of 2022 and 2021. Here, the silver lining is that when demand does catch up, there is plenty of space in the market to accommodate it.

For consideration: Ad Fill Rates

Ad Fill Rate is a crucial indicator of market equilibrium, primarily influenced by the supply of advertising inventory and the corresponding advertiser demand. Recently, we have observed Ad Fill Rates that are lower than previous years. This trend is attributed to an increase in viewer numbers and ecosystem fragmentation, while advertiser dollars have not transitioned to streaming as rapidly. This mismatch results in excess supply that isn’t fully absorbed by demand.

PRO TIP

Implementing a robust data strategy is essential for streamers and publishers to optimize their ad space. By providing accurate and detailed metadata about ad slots, they can attract high-quality ads that align with monetization goals. This strategy not only increases the efficiency of automated ad buys but also enhances the overall quality of ad matches.

Strategic partnerships and metadata standards

Direct insertion orders (IOs) are great for publishers and streamers, but for those also participating in the programmatic ecosystem, passing clean and compelling data signals through their programmatic pipes can maximize their opportunity. This is especially important as inventory owners seek to be recognized for providing premium, high-value content, and not just high-value audiences.

Having clear and consistent metadata makes it easier to match demand with that premium supply. Working with companies like Wurl to set up curated, pre-bid packages can make a big difference, helping advertisers quickly find content that’s just right for their needs.

Adopting innovative advertising techniques

Looking forward, embracing new and innovative strategies is going to be what moves the needle for FAST ads. This includes exploring interactive, picture-in-picture advertising solutions like Transmit, or scene-level contextual targeting, which can greatly enhance ad experiences. Staying abreast of these advancements will not only keep you competitive but also ensure a more engaging viewer experience.

Conclusion

As 2025 unfolds, streaming TV continues to redefine how audiences consume content, how advertisers reach viewers, and how platforms drive engagement. The trends outlined in this report make one thing clear: the shift to streaming is not slowing down — it’s accelerating, but sustaining momentum will require continuous innovation.

With Session Lengths stabilizing, the challenge for content providers is not just attracting viewers, but keeping them engaged. Discovery and personalization will be critical in ensuring that audiences find and stick with the content that resonates with them. Likewise, Hours of Viewing (HOV) growth shows promise, but to truly capture a larger share of total media time, streaming platforms must optimize both content strategies and user experiences.

On the advertising front, CTV ad spend is growing faster than any other category, but there is still untapped opportunity. Ad Load remains lower than traditional TV, giving publishers room to grow revenues without sacrificing viewer experience. Meanwhile, Ad Fill Rates continue to lag supply, signaling that advertisers have yet to fully capitalize on streaming’s potential. As more brands embrace data-driven, contextual advertising, the gap between supply and demand will likely close — unlocking new revenue streams for content owners and platforms.

For content creators, advertisers, and publishers alike, the question is no longer whether streaming will dominate but rather how to maximize its potential. Those who prioritize personalization, streamline content discovery, and embrace innovative ad strategies will be best positioned to thrive in this evolving landscape.

There’s never been a more exciting time to be in streaming TV.

Methodology

To ensure the integrity and confidentiality of our data, we have adopted the following approach to data presentation:

Normalized data

To keep our clients and partners’ information private, we’ve changed the numbers a bit, adding some obfuscation that allows us to show trends, without giving away potentially sensitive information. In practice, this means that we set the most recent data to a value of 1, and compare our earlier data in relation to it.

Let’s imagine we’re talking about Session Lengths. If the most recent average session was any length — like 1 minute or 10 hours — we call it 1. If the session before that was 80% as long, we mark it as 0.8. Using this information we can see that Session Lengths have increased, but the underlying figure stays private.

Normalized Data Example

This methodology ensures that our findings are both comprehensive and respectful of the sensitive nature of some of the data we handle. Our goal is to provide actionable insights while maintaining the highest standards of data privacy.

The data is based on CTV viewership in the United States from January 2020 to February 2025. Wurl works with major streamers and publishers across the CTV ecosystem — including thousands of FAST channels and more than 4 billion hours of viewing from leading streamers. The report is based on data aggregated from across our partnerships.

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