With more UK households streaming content via smart TVs and internet-enabled devices, traditional linear viewing continues to decline, giving rise to a new TV landscape.

Our 2025 UK CTV Pulse dives into consumer behaviour and attitudes, offering a better understanding of how people are watching TV and how they feel about ads within these environments.

Our findings show that marketers view CTV’s main advantages in the ability to reach younger audiences and use advanced targeting. At the same time, it’s encouraging to see younger streamers being much more open to using interactive elements in CTV ads, e.g. QR codes or virtual try-ons.

Additionally, many marketing decision-makers identify retail opportunities as one of the key benefits of CTV. As for the barriers, marketing decision-makers remain concerned about costs, and are increasingly challenged by the quality of programming as well as limited measurement capabilities.

Key findings:

• More UK consumers prefer ad-supported streaming services.
• Sports events present a major big-screen advertising opportunity.
• Marketing decision-makers increasingly view reaching younger audiences and advanced targeting as the main benefits of CTV.
  
• Younger streamers in the UK are more likely to engage with interactive features in CTV ads.
  
• The quality of programming is now a close second to cost as a barrier to CTV investment, according to marketers.