July 1, 2025
Is Your TV Ad Spend Keeping Up with the Audience? How to Align Your Budget with Modern Viewing Trends
The video landscape isn’t just evolving — it’s undergoing a full transformation. As a media strategist, I see this shift play out daily in the data, in client conversations, and across campaign performance. Yet, despite undeniable changes in how audiences consume content, many advertisers are still allocating their dollars like it’s 2015, not 2025.
Today, nearly 70% of video ad spend still goes to traditional broadcast and cable TV advertising — known as linear TV. But here’s the disconnect: linear TV now accounts for only about half of the time viewers spend with video — a significant drop from 72% back in 2020. Meanwhile, streaming TV/video continues its meteoric rise, with this type of Connected TV (CTV) ad spending projected to soar to $33 billion in 2025, and a staggering 82% of U.S. households expected to access CTV.
Despite these numbers, many advertisers have yet to fully align their budgets with these new viewing realities. The result? Nearly double the ad dollars are still flowing to linear TV, creating a gap between where consumers are watching and where marketers are spending.
This lag doesn’t just represent a missed opportunity — it can actively hurt your campaigns. Without a balanced strategy, you risk oversaturating linear audiences, wasting impressions, and burning through budget with diminishing returns. At the same time, underinvesting in CTV means missing out on valuable reach, precision targeting, and richer engagement opportunities.
And while many advertisers have leaned heavily into digital channels for their precision and trackability, CTV brings these same advantages to the big screen. With CTV, you’re no longer limited to broad demographic buys — you can leverage robust audience data to target by household, behavior, and interests, all while maintaining the premium, immersive environment of television. CTV bridges the gap between digital accountability and TV’s scale, offering both the reach of traditional broadcast and the granularity of digital media. It’s not just about reallocating budget — it’s about elevating how you think about video strategy as a whole.
We’ve consistently seen a 12–20% increase in target audience penetration when a CTV is added to linear TV strategies.
At ChappellRoberts, we help brands navigate this evolving ecosystem with confidence. For our clients across a broad spectrum of industries, we’ve consistently seen a 12–20% increase in target audience penetration when a CTV is added to linear TV strategies. Our approach is built around creating balanced, future-focused media plans that integrate both linear TV and CTV, grounded in data and designed to maximize ROI. We’ve seen firsthand how implementing an audience-weighted approach to video investments improves a campaign’s efficiency, extends the reach, connects with exclusive CTV viewers, and prevents oversaturation in linear environments.
This balanced approach helps enhance brand recall and awareness, which are essential during any audience’s decision-making journey.
Here’s how we do it:
1. Audience-Centric Budget Allocations
We start by following the audience — not legacy habits. By understanding where your customers are actually spending their time, we ensure your dollars are working harder across the right mix of platforms.
2. Holistic Reach and Frequency Management
Balancing reach and frequency across channels avoids oversaturation and ensures you’re hitting both breadth and depth, without burning out your audience.
3. Smart Targeting & Precision Buying
CTV offers advanced targeting capabilities that allow us to home in on high-value segments, reducing waste and increasing campaign efficiency.
4. Cross-Channel Measurement & Attribution
We track performance across platforms, providing clear attribution and insights that inform smarter, more agile media decisions.
5. Creative Optimizations & Platform-Specific Executions
Your creative deserves to shine in every environment. We tailor assets to fit the unique demands of CTV and linear, ensuring your message resonates wherever it appears.
So, the big question is: Are you confident your video strategy is aligned with today’s viewing habits?
If you’re unsure, you’re not alone — and you’re not out of time. Let’s explore how we can optimize your ad spending for 2025 and beyond. By aligning your strategy with the way audiences actually consume content today, we’ll help you unlock greater efficiency, effectiveness, and impact across your campaigns.
Ready to get started? Let’s talk.
