Streaming Continues To Surge

An In-Depth Look at How Ads Are Powering Streaming Growth in the US and Canada.

The shift to streaming still has a great deal of runway remaining as traditional TV viewers continue to abandon expensive cable and satellite subscriptions in favor of more affordable ad-supported streaming. And while the SVOD streaming model may have slowed, the opposite is true for ad-supported viewership.

Percentages shown are specific to the US market. Please download report for Canada-specific results.

Traditional TV Viewers Are Still Shifting to Streaming in Big Numbers

Ad-supported streaming is already watched by more viewers than traditional TV but the shift to streaming is far from over. Half of traditional TV viewers say they will start watching streaming TV in the next 6–12 months, many of which will be boomers (people in their mid-50s to 70s).

Q: Which of these following services do you use to watch TV shows and films? Source: Magnite

Economic Conditions Will Drive More Ad-Supported Viewership

Streamers aren’t going to dramatically cut paid subscriptions, but will make changes to their subscription stack and look to include more ad-supported options.

87% of streamers will add a new ad-supported streaming service in 2023

Source: Magnite

The Presence of Ads Doesn’t Affect Viewer Engagement

Streamers who watch ad-supported content watch the same number of hours as those who only watch ad-free content (17 hours per week). Binge-watching behavior is no different.

Streamers watch an average of 2–3 episodes of a show when binge-watching, regardless of whether the content includes ads or not.

Sources: Magnite and Morning Consult

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