CTV changes how growth happens | Blog

Streaming has become the default - not the alternative

For years, streaming was framed as the challenger to linear. That framing no longer holds. In Q1 2026:

● Streaming captured 77% of TV viewership time, a 6% increase year-over-year
● Linear TV viewership dropped by 17% YoY, while streaming grew by 5%

Viewers aren’t switching anymore, they’ve already switched. The question for advertisers now isn’t if they show up in streaming, but how effectively they operate within it. This shift reflects more than access, it signals a preference for on-demand, flexible and increasingly ad-supported viewing.

For years, streaming was framed as the challenger to linear. That framing no longer holds. In Q1 2026:

● Streaming captured 77% of TV viewership time, a 6% increase year-over-year
● Linear TV viewership dropped by 17% YoY, while streaming grew by 5%

Where Samsung Ads changes the equation

As streaming has scaled, so has fragmentation across apps, platforms, and intermediaries. The result is a growing change for advertisers: Are you actually reaching new audiences, or the same ones repeatedly? Samsung Ads operates directly on the largest screen in the home and stands out in the crowded CTV market with visibility into real viewing behavior at the TV level and scale that is not just large, but incremental:

● 2x the scale of competitors, ensuring your campaigns reach more viewers than ever before; more scale = more reach

● Up to 80% unduplicated reach, connecting you with untapped, high-value audiences

● 2x the scale of competitors, ensuring your campaigns reach more viewers than ever before; more scale = more reach

● Up to 80% unduplicated reach, connecting you with untapped, high-value audiences

Samsung Ads reaches TVs less likely to be attached to connected media devices, offering a unique advantage in audience targeting.

From fragmentation to clarity

● Proprietary data to help you understand audience behavior and preferences
● First-party insights to ensure your targeting is precise and effective maximizing every media dollar invested

As CTV matures, the advantage is shifting from those who can access inventory to those who navigate it intelligently.

Samsung Ads doesn't just offer scale — we provide actionable intelligence to optimize your campaigns:

● Proprietary data to help you understand audience behavior and preferences
● First-party insights to ensure your targeting is precise and effective maximizing every media dollar invested

Samsung Ads brings together:

The bottom line

Streaming today isn’t just one environment, it’s many. Apps, FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) channels, home screens and live experiences all play into how viewers discover and watch content. Success isn’t about consolidating spend, it’s about making every investment work harder together. What matters is:

    ●     How much of your reach is actually new
    ●     How accurately your data reflects real behavior
    ●     How efficiently you can turn viewership into results

Samsung Ads is built to complement — not replace — your existing CTV strategy, helping you uncover incremental reach, reduce duplication, and bring greater clarity to how your campaigns perform.

CTV isn’t just where audiences are — it’s where smarter, more connected strategies are driving growth.

● How much of your reach is actually new
● How accurately your data reflects real behavior
● How efficiently you can turn viewership into results

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Ready to transform your CTV strategy?

Let's connect and explore how Samsung Ads can help you achieve your advertising goals. Together, we can reach untapped audiences, drive meaningful results, and stay ahead in the competitive CTV landscape.

Source: Samsung Proprietary Smart TV Data, US Only, Q1 2026. ARF DASH Report, Full Year 2025.