Omdia: CTV advertising operating below monetisation potential
July 29, 2026 12.39 Europe/London By Julian Clover


Connected TV advertising services are generating an average of $0.21 per hour of viewing, establishing a benchmark for monetising ad-supported streaming across subscription, free and broadcaster-led platforms, according to new research from Omdia.

The figure applies across hybrid video-on-demand (HVOD), advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD), FAST and broadcaster video-on-demand (BVOD) services, despite significant differences in advertising loads, CPMs and audience profiles.

Based on analysis of CTV advertising markets in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the UK and the United States, Omdia estimates the industry is operating at just 65% of its commercial advertising capacity and only 32% of the maximum advertising capacity permitted on linear broadcast television.

The research suggests streaming services could increase advertising revenue by between two and three times if they improved ad fill rates and increased advertising loads.

Matthew Bailey, Senior Principal Analyst for Advertising at Omdia, said the consistency of the $0.21 per viewing hour benchmark across different streaming business models highlighted the importance of developing common performance metrics for the sector.

The report also identifies a significant monetisation gap between the United States and international markets. According to Omdia, US CTV advertising commands premiums of around 30% over comparable international markets, reflecting the country’s scale and greater investment in premium content. Elsewhere, lower purchasing power, regulatory restrictions and the role of public service broadcasting continue to constrain advertising revenues.

Omdia believes ad-supported subscription services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ offer the greatest growth opportunity, but argues they will need to expand their advertiser base, improve advertising relevance and increase inventory utilisation before they can consistently achieve the benchmark.

The analyst firm also calls for greater standardisation of cross-platform audience measurement and a more level competitive environment between global streaming platforms and national broadcasters, warning that the market risks developing into a two-tier advertising ecosystem without closer regulatory and measurement alignment.