TV Advertising Statistics 2026: Spend, CTV, ROI and Viewing Share
US connected TV (CTV) ad spend is forecast to grow 15.6% in 2026 while linear TV ad spend falls 1.5%, according to IAB's September 2026 update. In the UK, TV ad spend was £5,216.1 million in 2025, down 1.2%, but addressable formats grew 37.0% to 35.3% of the total. Streaming took 49.0% of US TV viewing time in July 2026, according to Nielsen.
Key statistics
- US CTV ad spend is forecast to grow 15.6% in 2026, according to IAB, up from 13.8% in its January forecast.
- US linear TV ad spend is forecast to fall 1.5% in 2026, according to IAB, a smaller drop than the 1.7% it forecast in January.
- UK advertisers spent £5,216.1 million on TV advertising in 2025, down 1.2% on 2024, according to the Advertising Association and WARC.
- TV returned £5.61 in profit for every £1 spent over 24 months in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
- Streaming took 49.0% of US TV viewing time in July 2026, according to Nielsen.
TV advertising spend 2026
No free source publishes total US TV ad spend in dollars. IAB publishes growth forecasts and digital video totals. The UK has a full count from the Advertising Association and WARC.
The US ad market is growing fast in 2026. IAB raised its full-year forecast to 12.3% in September, from 9.5% in January. It points to a strong first half with the Winter Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. TV is not the main driver. Social media, CTV and commerce media lead the growth.
Digital video is now the bigger part of TV and video budgets in the US. IAB expects it to pass $80 billion and more than 60% of total TV and video ad spend in 2026. That leaves linear TV with less than 40%.
UK TV ad spend is close to flat. It fell 1.2% to £5,216.1 million in 2025 while the whole UK ad market grew 6.4%. AA/WARC expects TV to grow 3.7% in 2026, which would take it to about £5.41 billion. That is still slower than the 6.6% forecast for the total market, so TV's 11.2% share is likely to shrink again.
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US ad spend is forecast to grow 12.3% in 2026, according to IAB, up from its January 2026 forecast of 9.5%.
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US digital video ad spend is projected to pass $80 billion in 2026, growing 11%, according to IAB.
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UK advertisers spent £5,216.1 million on TV advertising in 2025, down 1.2% on 2024, according to the Advertising Association and WARC.
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UK TV advertising spend is forecast to grow 3.7% in 2026, according to the Advertising Association and WARC.
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UK TV advertising spend would reach about £5.41 billion in 2026 if the AA/WARC forecast holds, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Advertising Association and WARC data.
How we calculated it: 2025 TV spend £5,216.1m x (1 + 3.7% forecast growth) = £5,409.1m, about £5.41bn.
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UK TV ad spend grew 7.6 points slower than the total UK ad market in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Advertising Association and WARC data.
How we calculated it: Total UK ad investment +6.4% minus TV -1.2% = 7.6 percentage points.
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UK TV ad spend is forecast to grow 2.9 points slower than the total UK ad market in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Advertising Association and WARC data.
How we calculated it: Total UK ad investment forecast +6.6% minus TV forecast +3.7% = 2.9 percentage points (April 2026 forecasts).
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The UK commercial TV and online video market exceeded £18 billion in revenue in 2025, according to Ofcom.
| Measure | Market | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total ad spend growth, 2026 forecast | US | +12.3% | IAB, September 2026 |
| Digital video ad spend, 2026 projection | US | Over $80bn (+11%) | IAB, May 2026 |
| Digital video share of TV/video ad spend, 2026 | US | Over 60% | IAB, May 2026 |
| TV ad spend, 2025 | UK | £5,216.1m (-1.2%) | AA/WARC, April 2026 |
| TV share of all ad spend, 2025 | UK | 11.2% | AA/WARC, April 2026 |
| TV ad spend growth, 2026 forecast | UK | +3.7% | AA/WARC, April 2026 |
Linear TV vs CTV ad spend
Linear TV is scheduled broadcast and cable advertising. CTV is advertising on streaming services watched on a TV set. Addressable TV, the UK term, covers targeted formats such as broadcaster video on demand (BVOD), ad-supported streaming and targeted linear ads.
In the US, the money is moving from linear TV to CTV. IAB's September 2026 update forecasts CTV ad spend up 15.6% and linear TV down 1.5%. That is a 17.1-point gap. Linear TV is the only one of the eight channels in the forecast expected to shrink. Sports helped it in 2026, which is why IAB's linear forecast improved slightly from January.
IAB's own reports do not fully agree. The May 2026 video report projects CTV growth of 11%, slower than social video at 13%. The September forecast puts CTV at 15.6%. The two reports were published four months apart and measure different things, so treat them as a range rather than one number.
The UK shows the same shift inside TV budgets. Addressable TV grew 37.0% to £1,839.0 million in 2025. Non-addressable TV, mostly linear spot and sponsorship, fell by about 14%. Addressable formats went from about a quarter of UK TV spend to over a third in one year. If the 2026 forecasts hold, they will reach about 38.6%.
For other channels that are growing fast, see our affiliate marketing statistics.
Source: IAB 2026 Outlook Study, September update.
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US CTV ad spend is forecast to grow 15.6% in 2026, according to IAB, up from 13.8% in its January forecast.
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US linear TV ad spend is forecast to fall 1.5% in 2026, according to IAB, a smaller drop than the 1.7% it forecast in January.
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US CTV ad spend is forecast to grow 17.1 points faster than linear TV in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from IAB data.
How we calculated it: IAB September 2026 forecasts: CTV +15.6% minus linear TV -1.5% = 17.1 percentage points. The January gap was 13.8% - (-1.7%) = 15.5 points.
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CTV has the second-fastest forecast growth of eight US ad channels in 2026, behind social media at 16.5%, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from IAB data.
How we calculated it: Ranked the eight channels in the IAB September 2026 update: social media 16.5%, CTV 15.6%, commerce media 13.6%, digital video excluding CTV 9.4%, podcasts 8.7%, paid search 8.1%, DOOH 7.0%, linear TV -1.5%.
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Linear TV is the only one of eight US ad channels forecast to shrink in 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from IAB data.
How we calculated it: Of the eight channel forecasts in the IAB September 2026 update, linear TV (-1.5%) is the only negative value. The next lowest is DOOH at +7.0%.
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US CTV ad spend is projected to grow 11% in 2026 while social video grows 13%, according to IAB, the first time social video has outpaced CTV.
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UK addressable TV ad spend reached £1,839.0 million in 2025, up 37.0%, according to the Advertising Association and WARC.
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UK non-addressable TV ad spend, mostly linear spot and sponsorship, fell about 14% to £3,377.1 million in 2025, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Advertising Association and WARC data.
How we calculated it: 2025: total TV £5,216.1m - addressable £1,839.0m = £3,377.1m. Implied 2024: £5,279.5m - £1,342.3m = £3,937.1m. Change: 3,377.1 / 3,937.1 - 1 = -14.2%. Approximate, because growth rates are rounded.
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UK addressable TV ad spend is forecast to grow 13.4% in 2026, according to the Advertising Association and WARC.
| Channel | January 2026 forecast | September 2026 forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Social media | 14.6% | 16.5% |
| CTV | 13.8% | 15.6% |
| Commerce media | 12.1% | 13.6% |
| Digital video excl. CTV | 9.6% | 9.4% |
| Podcasts | 8.6% | 8.7% |
| Paid search | 8.2% | 8.1% |
| DOOH | 7.4% | 7.0% |
| Linear TV | -1.7% | -1.5% |
TV advertising ROI
The largest public study of TV's return on investment is Thinkbox's Profit Ability 2. Thinkbox is the marketing body for UK commercial TV, so it has an interest in the result. The econometric work was done by five agencies and covers £1.8 billion of UK media spend.
TV returned £5.61 in profit for every £1 spent over 24 months. Online video, mostly YouTube, returned £3.86. The average across all media was £4.11. By our calculation, TV's return was 1.45 times online video's and 36% above the average.
TV took 43.6% of the spend in the study but produced 54.7% of the profit. Most of that came from linear TV, at 46.6% of all profit. BVOD added 8.2%.
The time frame matters. Short-term ROI, up to 13 weeks, averaged £1.87. Counting the full 24 months more than doubles it. Thinkbox finds 58% of profit arrives after the first 13 weeks, so studies that only measure short-term sales will undercount TV.
These results come from UK campaigns in a study published in 2024. Thinkbox does not say which years the campaigns ran. They may not hold for other markets or for 2026 prices.
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TV returned £5.61 in profit for every £1 spent over 24 months in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
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Online video, mostly YouTube, returned £3.86 in profit for every £1 spent over 24 months in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
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UK advertising returned an average £4.11 in profit per £1 over 24 months in campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, and £1.87 in the short term, according to Thinkbox.
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TV profit ROI was 1.45 times that of online video in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Thinkbox data.
How we calculated it: TV £5.61 / online video £3.86 = 1.453.
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TV profit ROI was 36% above the all-media average in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Thinkbox data.
How we calculated it: TV £5.61 / all-media average £4.11 = 1.365, so 36.5% higher. Rounded down to 36% to stay conservative.
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TV delivered 1.25 times its share of spend in profit in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Thinkbox data.
How we calculated it: Share of full profit 54.7% / share of investment 43.6% = 1.255.
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Linear TV generated 46.6% of advertising-driven profit and broadcaster video on demand 8.2% in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
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58% of advertising-driven profit arrived after the first 13 weeks in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
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Counting 24 months of effects made average UK advertising ROI 2.2 times the short-term figure in campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Thinkbox data.
How we calculated it: Full-payback ROI £4.11 / short-term (13-week) ROI £1.87 = 2.198.
| Channel | Profit per £1 | Share of profit |
|---|---|---|
| TV (linear and BVOD) | £5.61 | 54.7% |
| All-media average | £4.11 | Not applicable |
| Online video | £3.86 | 3.4% |
TV advertising effectiveness statistics
Effectiveness data splits into two kinds. Econometric studies measure profit over time. Ad-serving vendors measure reach, frequency and engagement for CTV campaigns.
TV works slowly. In Thinkbox's data, generic paid search drove the most payback in the first week, at 30.5%. Linear TV was second at 20.5%. After the first week, TV took 63.0% of the profit. Linear TV's share alone rose by 34.1 points between the two periods.
TV also scales further before returns flatten. Linear TV hit saturation at a spend level of £330,000 for immediate payback, the highest of any medium in the study.
CTV campaigns reach a smaller audience per campaign. Innovid found the average CTV campaign reached 19.64% of the 95 million-plus US households Innovid can measure in 2024, at a frequency of 7.09. That is vendor data from Innovid's own ad serving, not a market-wide measure.
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Linear TV produced 20.5% of immediate advertising payback, second to generic paid search at 30.5%, in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
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TV produced 63.0% of advertising profit generated after the first week in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
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Linear TV share of advertising payback rose 34.1 points from the first week to later periods in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Thinkbox data.
How we calculated it: Linear TV share of payback beyond week one 54.6% minus share of immediate payback 20.5% = 34.1 percentage points.
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Linear TV reached immediate-payback saturation at a spend level of £330,000 on average, the highest of any medium in UK campaigns in the 2024 Thinkbox study, according to Thinkbox.
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The average CTV campaign reached 19.64% of the 95 million-plus US households Innovid can measure in 2024 at a frequency of 7.09, according to Innovid.
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CTV ad impressions served by Innovid grew 18% in 2024, according to Innovid.
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Interactive CTV ads added an average of 71 seconds of viewer time over standard pre-roll in 2024, according to Innovid.
| Medium | Immediate payback | After first week |
|---|---|---|
| Linear TV | 20.5% | 54.6% |
| BVOD | 7.3% | 8.4% |
| Generic paid search | 30.5% | 9.7% |
| Paid social | 15.1% | 7.7% |
| Audio | 8.6% | 6.4% |
| Online video | Not reported | 3.3% |
Share of TV viewing: streaming vs broadcast vs cable
Nielsen's The Gauge measures how much US TV time goes to streaming, broadcast and cable. Its Ad Supported Gauge counts only viewing to content with ads.
Streaming took 49.0% of US TV time in July 2026, up 1.7 points on July 2025. Cable lost the most, down 3.5 points to 18.7%. Broadcast gained 1.1 points to 19.5%, helped by World Cup coverage. YouTube alone took a record 14.2%.
The shift in viewing is faster than the shift in ad budgets. Streaming has nearly half of TV time, but not all streaming carries ads. The ad-supported share of all TV viewing fell from 73.6% in Q2 2025 to 71.5% in Q2 2026.
Nielsen is changing the method. It says The Gauge will get methodological updates in fall 2026 to match changes in its currency measurement. Its Ad Supported Gauge is due to move to universe estimates based on the ARF's DASH service. Later months may not compare directly with the figures here.
Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, July 2026.
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Streaming share of US TV viewing rose 1.7 points between July 2025 and July 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Nielsen data.
How we calculated it: July 2026 streaming 49.0% (Nielsen, September 2026 release) minus July 2025 streaming 47.3% (Nielsen, August 2025 release) = 1.7 points.
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Cable share of US TV viewing fell 3.5 points between July 2025 and July 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Nielsen data.
How we calculated it: July 2026 cable 18.7% minus July 2025 cable 22.2% = -3.5 points.
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Broadcast share of US TV viewing rose 1.1 points between July 2025 and July 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Nielsen data.
How we calculated it: July 2026 broadcast 19.5% minus July 2025 broadcast 18.4% = 1.1 points. July 2026 included World Cup coverage on broadcast.
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YouTube share of US TV viewing rose 0.8 points between July 2025 and July 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Nielsen data.
How we calculated it: July 2026 YouTube 14.2% minus July 2025 YouTube 13.4% = 0.8 points.
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Streaming led broadcast and cable combined by 10.8 points of US TV viewing in July 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Nielsen data.
How we calculated it: Streaming 49.0% minus (broadcast 19.5% + cable 18.7% = 38.2%) = 10.8 points.
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Streaming share of US TV viewing rose 3.8 points between May 2025 and May 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Nielsen data.
How we calculated it: May 2026 streaming 48.6% (Nielsen May 2026 Gauge release) minus May 2025 streaming 44.8% (Nielsen Q2 2025 Ad Supported Gauge release) = 3.8 points. Cable: 20.4% - 24.1% = -3.7 points. Broadcast: 19.2% - 20.1% = -0.9 points.
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Ad-supported content took 71.5% of US TV viewing in Q2 2026, according to Nielsen.
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Ad-supported content took 73.6% of US TV viewing in Q2 2025, according to Nielsen.
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Ad-supported share of US TV viewing fell 2.1 points between Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, calculated by StatisticsGlobal from Nielsen data.
How we calculated it: Q2 2026 71.5% minus Q2 2025 73.6% = -2.1 points.
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Streaming took 48.2% of ad-supported US TV viewing in Q2 2026, with broadcast at 26.6% and cable at 25.2%, according to Nielsen.
| Category | July 2025 | July 2026 | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming | 47.3% | 49.0% | +1.7 |
| Broadcast | 18.4% | 19.5% | +1.1 |
| Cable | 22.2% | 18.7% | -3.5 |
| YouTube (within streaming) | 13.4% | 14.2% | +0.8 |
How these sources measure TV advertising
Each source counts something different. Read the scope before comparing numbers.
IAB's growth figures are forecasts built from a survey of more than 200 US brand and agency buyers. They show where buyers plan to spend. They are not audited totals. IAB's digital video report adds spend data from Guideline.
The Advertising Association and WARC count actual UK spend after discounts and before agency commission. In 2026 they changed their categories. TV now includes spot, sponsorship, addressable and other TV, and addressable covers BVOD, ad-supported streaming and targeted linear ads. Older reports used other splits, so do not compare them line by line.
Thinkbox's ROI study is econometric modelling of 141 UK brands. It was commissioned by the TV industry's marketing body. It is the most detailed public study we found, but no study of the same size from a neutral body was available to check it against.
Nielsen's The Gauge measures total US TV usage by people aged 2 and over, including viewing with no ads. It is not a currency rating. Innovid's figures come from its own ad serving and reflect its clients, not the whole market.
Frequently asked questions
How much is spent on TV advertising in 2026?
No free source gives a total for US TV in dollars. IAB projects US digital video ad spend above $80 billion in 2026, more than 60% of TV and video ad spend. In the UK, TV ad spend was £5,216.1 million in 2025 and is forecast to grow 3.7% in 2026.
Is linear TV advertising declining?
Yes. IAB forecasts US linear TV ad spend to fall 1.5% in 2026 while CTV grows 15.6%. In the UK, non-addressable TV spend fell by about 14% in 2025 by our calculation from AA/WARC data, while addressable TV grew 37.0%.
What is the ROI of TV advertising?
Thinkbox's Profit Ability 2 study found TV returned £5.61 in profit per £1 over 24 months in UK campaigns, in a study published in 2024. The all-media average was £4.11 and online video £3.86. Thinkbox represents UK commercial TV.
How much TV viewing is streaming vs cable and broadcast?
Streaming took 49.0% of US TV viewing time in July 2026, according to Nielsen. Broadcast took 19.5% and cable 18.7%. YouTube alone had 14.2%.
How has TV viewing changed since last year?
Streaming's share of US TV time rose 1.7 points from July 2025 to July 2026, and cable's fell 3.5 points. The share of viewing to content with ads fell from 73.6% in Q2 2025 to 71.5% in Q2 2026.
What is the forecast for TV advertising?
In the US, IAB expects CTV to be the second-fastest growing ad channel in 2026 and linear TV the only one to shrink. In the UK, AA/WARC forecasts TV up 3.7% and addressable TV up 13.4% in 2026.
Sources
- IAB, IAB Raises 2026 U.S. Ad Spend Forecast to +12.3% YoY Growth (2026 Outlook Study: September Update), 10 September 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Advertising Association and WARC, AA/WARC updates Advertising Expenditure Report and records £46.7bn media investment in 2025, 30 April 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Thinkbox, Profit Ability 2: the new business case for advertising, 24 April 2024 (updated 5 November 2024), accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Nielsen, TV usage kicks usual summer slowdown, fueled by World Cup and streaming, in Nielsen's July Gauge reports, 10 September 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- IAB, U.S. Digital Video Ad Spend to Surpass $80B in 2026 (2026 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Report), 5 May 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Ofcom, Media Nations 2026, 29 July 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Innovid, Innovid's 2025 CTV Benchmarks Reveal Big Opportunities in Reach, Frequency and Interactive Engagement, 23 April 2025, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Nielsen, Streaming cranks up the heat in July, accounts for nearly half of all TV viewing in Nielsen's The Gauge, 19 August 2025, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Nielsen, Streaming embarks on annual summer ascent in Nielsen's May 2026 Gauge reports, 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Nielsen, Major live sports events bolster broadcast in Nielsen's Q2 2026 Ad Supported Gauge, 25 August 2026, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
- Nielsen, Viewing to content with ads gained share to 73.6% of overall TV viewing in Q2: Nielsen's Q2 2025 Ad Supported Gauge, 29 July 2025, accessed 22 October 2026. Link · Saved data copy
Changes to this page
- : Page published with IAB forecasts (May and September 2026), Nielsen Gauge data to July 2026, AA/WARC 2025 UK spend data, Ofcom Media Nations 2026, Thinkbox Profit Ability 2 and Innovid 2025 benchmarks.