Streaming TV ad spend hits 48.7% despite delivering fewer impressions

The massive gap between spend and impressions confirms that advertisers are willing to pay a significant premium for targeting and measurability. While linear TV still maintains a reach advantage with 78% of impressions, its 10% spending decline suggests that 'spray and pray' reach is losing ground to high-conversion digital environments. This trend is forcing platforms like Pinterest and Affle to adopt identity-based and programmatic models to capture shifting budgets. As the market moves toward outcome-based pricing, the industry must solve persistent identity challenges, such as the lack of cookies and device IDs on the TV side. Watch for whether linear conversion rates stabilize or if the budget migration accelerates as streaming reach expands.