Streaming shifts to ads
Rising streaming fees have pushed nearly 70% of viewers onto ad‑supported tiers, and platforms are reprioritizing engagement and "passion" over raw impressions when valuing creator integrations. That means brands and streaming partners now favor creators who can show watch time, completion rates and tight community engagement rather than just reach. (latimes.com)(thedrum.com)(mediaplaynews.com)
Deloitte’s 20th Digital Media Trends survey polled 3,575 U.S. consumers in October–November 2025, reported the average subscribing household spends $69 per month, and found 61% would cancel their favorite SVOD if the monthly fee increased by $5. (mediaplaynews.com) Tubi CEO Anjali Sud framed a strategic pivot at NewFronts toward "passion" and "participation" instead of raw impressions, arguing advertisers should "own moments" with fandom-focused inventory. (thedrum.com) The Fox-owned streamer reported roughly 100 million monthly active users and said those viewers consumed more than 10 billion hours of content last year, figures Tubi used to demonstrate scale for passion-driven ad buys. (marketingbrew.com) Tubi unveiled new ad formats — Scene Sense, Interactive Pause Ads and Connected Conversions — and expanded programmatic access via Amazon DSP with the capability to match about 85% of its audience for targeted buys. (marketingbrew.com) Tubi’s proprietary research with The Harris Poll found 90% of viewers report the highest engagement while streaming, 65% said they feel part of a community around what they watch, and 50% of fans purchase apparel tied to favorite movies. (corporate.tubitv.com) Deloitte’s report also shows fandom behavior correlates with spending and time: roughly 80% identify as fans of at least one entertainment category, "hardcore" streamers spend an average of $71 per month versus $56 for casual users, and hardcore users spend about 51 more minutes per day on entertainment. (mediaplaynews.com)
