Since the 1960s, US TV networks have hosted Upfronts, giving advertisers an early look at upcoming autumn programming. These sessions generate excitement and allow advertisers to allocate their budgets strategically. As streaming has grown in prominence, a new element, NewFronts, has been introduced. These sessions focus on digital content trends and partnerships with digital media companies.
Emarketer reported that “US upfront/NewFront digital video ad spend will increase by 37.3% to reach $18.61 billion” — a staggering amount of money.
As the industry adapts to changing viewing habits, the question remains: how will the average viewer consume TV in 2025, and are broadcasters and advertisers adjusting to meet these new demands?
Wanting to know more, Cint surveyed around 300 people in the United States.
The results have been compiled in our latest report Are streaming habits reshaping the advertising industry? The report is available to download now, but here’s a brief run down of the key takeaways ahead of 2025’s Upfronts season.
Exploring trends and habits in streaming
Given the shift away from television as something to be consumed by a mass audience in a relatively linear manner — television as a form of entertainment primarily administered in weekly doses to home audiences — Cint investigated how popular streaming is when compared to traditional cable and satellite TV options.
Our report explores not just how people watch TV in 2025, but how much they watch per day, and how many streaming services they subscribe to.
Subscriptions and spending
In 2025, there’s a streaming service for pretty much everything and everyone. Like reality TV? You’ve got Peacock. Prefer sports? There’s ESPN+. Got a penchant for anime? Try CrunchyRoll.
But what are our respondents actually subscribing to?
Our report examines the most popular options on the market, as well as looking into how much people spend on streaming services each month, and what the most watched kind of content is.
The ad experience
Advertising has been part of the television viewing experience since time immemorial — commercials are the lifeblood of broadcasters around the world. What, though, do viewers really make of the way ads are folded into the streaming experience in 2025?
Our report looks into the impact that ads have on viewers, and whether or not people are willing to pay more for ad-free streaming service offerings.
Read the report in full
Want to know more about the impact that ads have on the consumers of streaming services?
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