If it wasn’t already clear that ad-supported plans and services are only going to expand in the future, new data confirms that 72.4% of overall TV viewing during the first quarter of 2025 was on ad-supported platforms.
With less than 28% of viewing supposedly taking place on ad-free plans/services, it is clear that consumer behavior, whether driven by choice or price, is increasingly leaning towards the use of ads.
This latest data point was announced as part of Nielsen‘s first-ever The Ad Supported Gauge. This is a new extension of the company’s The Gauge report, which provides a monthly snapshot of TV viewing based on category (Broadcast, Cable and Streaming) and service.
In terms of those categories, Nielsen notes Streaming accounted for a 42.4% share of the ad-supported TV market in Q1 2025. This compared to 28.7% for Broadcast and $28.9% for Cable.
Even though cable and broadcast jointly accounted for 58% of the total ad-supported TV market, Streaming’s 42.4% highlights just how quickly the streaming side of the ad-supported industry is growing.
All of which is a good indicator that consumers shouldn’t expect ads to disappear anytime soon. If anything, they can probably expect more services to embrace ads in the future, through the addition of ad-supported plans and/or more tech-forward ad types, including interactive ads and gamified ads.
For reference, the latest standard The Gauge data (March 2025) confirmed Streaming‘s total TV share climbed to 43.8%. At the same time, Cable’s total increased to 24% and Broadcast’s share dropped to 20.5%.
