Something fundamental has changed in how Americans watch television. And if you’re still advertising primarily on broadcast, you’re missing it. Our streaming TV advertising deep dive covers the full channel landscape.
The Streaming Shift Has Happened
This isn’t a prediction about the future. The crossover has already occurred.
In May 2025, streaming TV surpassed broadcast and cable television combined for the first time in Nielsen’s tracking. This wasn’t a close race that finally tipped, streaming has been gaining steadily for years while linear TV has declined.
For context: In 2021, streaming represented about 26% of TV viewing. By late 2024, it was 43%. Now it’s the majority.
What Streaming TV Advertising Means
Streaming TV advertising, also called CTV (Connected TV) or OTT advertising, is video advertising delivered through internet streaming services rather than traditional cable or broadcast.
When someone watches Hulu, Peacock, Tubi, Pluto TV, or Roku Channel and sees a commercial, that’s streaming TV advertising. The ad plays during content, just like traditional TV, but delivery happens over the internet.
The key differences from broadcast:
- Targeting: You reach specific households, not broad demographics
- Measurement: You get impression-level data, not estimated ratings
- Completion: Ads are typically non-skippable with 90%+ completion
- Reach: You access the audience that’s left broadcast behind
The Major Streaming Ad Platforms
Streaming advertising isn’t one platform. It’s an ecosystem. Major ad-supported services include:
Premium SVOD with ad tiers:
- Hulu (Disney)
- Peacock (NBCUniversal)
- Paramount+ (Paramount)
- Max (Warner Bros. Discovery)
- Netflix (ad-supported tier launched 2022)
- Disney+ (ad-supported tier)
Free ad-supported streaming (FAST):
- Tubi (Fox)
- Pluto TV (Paramount)
- Roku Channel
- Amazon Freevee
- Xumo
Device/platform owners:
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV
- Samsung TV+
- Vizio WatchFree+
- LG Channels
Each of these represents potential inventory for your ads. The fragmentation is both a challenge and an opportunity, viewers are spread across many services, but programmatic buying lets you reach them across the ecosystem.
Ad-Supported Streaming Is Growing
A critical point for advertisers: The ad-supported segment of streaming is growing fastest.
For years, streaming meant ad-free subscriptions. Netflix trained viewers to expect no commercials. But that’s changed dramatically.
Netflix launched its ad-supported tier in late 2022. Disney+ followed. Prices for ad-free tiers have increased, pushing cost-conscious viewers toward ad-supported options.
The result: More streaming viewers are now seeing ads. The inventory pool has grown significantly.
Cord-Cutting Continues
The shift to streaming is driven by cord-cutting, households canceling traditional cable and satellite service.
This trend accelerated during 2020 and hasn’t reversed. Pay TV households decline each year. Younger demographics in particular are “cord-nevers” who’ve never subscribed to traditional TV.
For law firms, this creates a problem: The audience you’ve historically reached through broadcast is fragmenting. Some still watch traditional TV. Many have moved to streaming. Some do both.
If you’re only buying broadcast, you’re systematically missing the cord-cutters. In many markets, that’s a substantial portion of your potential audience.
What This Means for Law Firms
The implications are straightforward:
1. Your broadcast-only strategy has a ceiling.
Every year, a larger share of TV viewing happens on streaming. If you’re not there, you’re not reaching them, no matter how much you spend on broadcast.
2. Streaming audiences are reachable.
This isn’t a black box. Streaming TV advertising is mature, measurable, and accessible. The platforms exist. The inventory exists. The targeting capabilities often exceed what broadcast offers.
3. The math is changing.
A $100,000 broadcast TV budget that reached 70% of TV viewers five years ago now reaches less than 50% of TV viewing. The same spend on a broadcast + streaming mix reaches more total viewership.
4. Targeting changes the equation.
Streaming advertising lets you target at the household level: specific geographies, demographics, behaviors, and interests. Broadcast gives you broad age/gender demos. The precision of streaming often offsets the higher CPM.
How to Start with Streaming Ads
For law firms new to streaming TV advertising, here’s a practical path:
Getting Started with Streaming TV
Start with Programmatic CTV
Use a DSP or CTV partner to access inventory across multiple publishers. This gives you reach across the streaming ecosystem without negotiating separate deals.
Set a Test Budget
$5,000-$10,000 per month in a single market is enough to evaluate streaming TV. Run for 3-6 months to gather meaningful data.
Use Your Existing Creative
If you have broadcast TV commercials, they’ll work on streaming. The format is the same, :15 and :30 second spots.
Layer in Targeting
Geographic targeting at minimum, focus on your service area. Then add demographic and behavioral targeting.
Measure What Matters
Track site visits, phone calls, and branded search lift. These are the signals that streaming TV is working.
The Bottom Line
Streaming TV advertising isn’t optional anymore. It’s where the audience is.
The firms that figured this out early have a head start. They’re reaching households that broadcast-only competitors miss. They’re building awareness with cord-cutters and cord-nevers who will never see a traditional TV commercial.
The good news: It’s not too late to start. Streaming advertising is accessible, measurable, and works alongside your existing broadcast presence. For a detailed cost breakdown, see how much CTV advertising costs for law firms. The shift has happened. The question is whether you’ll follow your audience.