These Topics Will Dominate the TV Landscape in 2025

It’s a new year, which means plenty of opportunity for growth and change in the world of TV.

Last year, the TV industry learned a lot amid increasing consolidation, declining upfront prices, and shifting consumption. Now, it appears that ad-supported streaming, new forms of measurement, and commerce media are set to take center stage.

As part of ADWEEK’s ongoing outlook coverage previewing the year ahead, we asked 14 TV executives, ad sales leaders, and insiders about what topics and trends they think will dominate the industry in 2025.

Here’s what to watch for this year in the world of TV:

Jay Askinasi, svp head of global media revenue and growth, Roku: Ad-supported TV streaming is poised to dominate the marketplace, capturing even greater industry attention. We believe the upward trajectory we saw in 2024 with The Roku Channel and other ad-supported channels is set to continue in 2025, driving the industry toward a future where the majority of TV streaming will be free and ad-supported. As viewers increasingly embrace free, ad-supported content, we expect more services will adopt this model to meet consumer demand.

Dani Benowitz, global and U.S. president, Magna: There will be ongoing conversations about measurement and alternate currencies, as there are still unknowns and unanswered questions around the industry players. We will see if more choices are introduced, new baselines established, or new offerings—all remains to be seen in 2025.

Rita Ferro, global ads president, Disney: The notion of live and being able to really deliver seamless experiences. What’s great for the consumer is great for marketers, but we have to make it great for marketers and make it easy for marketers. It’s not super easy today, but it will become easier.

Marcy Greenberger, chief investment officer, UM: Currency will continue to be a hot topic as Nielsen’s Big Data product is fully rolled out and the debate over the strengths of various currencies continues.

John Halley, president, Paramount Advertising: “All media as performance media.” We’ve heard that from our partners at increasing volumes over the last year, and the trend is beginning to express itself in terms of ad products and measurement preferences. The funnel has been turned on its head. Content to commerce is now the rallying cry of big media.