Despite economic uncertainty, the first half of 2025 saw advertisers double down on TV campaigns, with 68 of the top 100 U.S. brands increasing their ad impressions, according to Samba TV’s “H1 2025 US State of Advertising Report.” This includes 75% of the top 20 advertisers, signaling an aggressive push to gain market share even in a slow-growth environment.
Streaming continues to outpace linear TV, with Connected TV (CTV) hours watched jumping 46% year-over-year, compared to 32% the previous year. Amazon led the way with a 2,405% spike in ad spend, largely to promote its brand and ad-supported streaming services, underscoring the industry-wide shift toward digital-first strategies.
“This is a transformative moment for advertisers,” said Ashwin Navin, Co-founder & CEO of Samba TV. “To win in today’s fragmented landscape, marketers must move beyond linear-heavy planning and lean into AI, personalization, and streaming-first strategies.”
The data shows a clear divide in brand tactics—even within the same sectors. T-Mobile boosted ad impressions by 34% to fuel subscriber growth, while Verizon slashed its TV presence by 37% to focus on digital retention efforts. Similarly, Starbucks ramped up by 88% to reinforce its “third place” identity, while Dunkin’ cut back by 61%, pivoting to digital promotions and influencer-driven campaigns.
Sector-level insights reflect evolving consumer priorities. Entertainment remained the largest ad category (16% of total impressions), but pharmaceutical and medical brands saw the fastest growth—up to 12% share—driven by direct-to-consumer ads for newly approved treatments. Tremfya, for instance, increased its TV ad impressions by 190% following FDA approval. Febreze (+137%) also capitalized on the "home-as-sanctuary" trend.
Yet massive inefficiencies remain. Samba’s data revealed that 94% of TV ad impressions were seen by just 50% of households—creating extreme overexposure for some audiences and missed reach for others. Hispanic and Asian viewers were under-reached by 23% and 30%, respectively, while affluent households earning over $200K annually were missed by 13%.
“Half of TV households see 94% of ads,” the report notes, highlighting the urgent need for smarter targeting. “Advertisers can use contextual web signals to close this gap and reach in-market buyers more effectively.”
In a notable shift, some challenger and niche brands saw exponential growth in impressions. General Mills expanded its umbrella brand strategy with a staggering 46,471% increase in TV ad impressions, while Hers (+336%) and Rocket Mortgage (+531%) made similarly aggressive moves. Even value players like Harbor Freight (+1,254%) and Ethos (+837%) surged by tapping into consumer demand for affordability and security.
Meanwhile, linear TV still plays a strategic role for networks promoting their own streaming platforms. Broadcasters like CBS, NBC, and ABC used primetime slots to funnel audiences to services such as Paramount+ and Hulu—a move that highlights how linear TV remains a vital tool in the digital transition.
Demographic and geographic disparities also reveal untapped potential. Older audiences continue to be over-served, while Gen Z and millennials are under-reached relative to their census proportions. Regionally, ads are disproportionately concentrated in the Northeast, with high-growth states like Texas and California underrepresented.
"CTV's growth is accelerating, and advertisers who fail to modernize risk being left behind," Navin said. “The brands winning in 2025 are those combining creativity, AI, and precision targeting to turn impressions into meaningful connections.”
As marketers prepare for the second half of the year, Samba TV emphasizes four pillars for success: commit to streaming-first strategies, increase audience precision, embrace AI insights, and reallocate spend to underserved segments. In a landscape where saturation is high but attention is scarce, the next competitive edge lies in who brands reach—and how.
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