Cannes Lions 2025: Unpacking performance and innovation trends in streaming TV

With the champagne corked and the cabanas cleared, we’re breaking down some of the key takeaways from our time at Cannes Lions.

Alongside some of the most forward-thinking advertisers, streamers, and ad tech companies in the business, we tackled the biggest questions in streaming today:

What does performance really mean in CTV? How does emotion influence outcomes? And how can we support the market adoption of streaming globally?

From packed roundtables to relaxed conversations over spritzes, here are just a few of the highlights from an unforgettable week.

Defining CTV performance: From impressions to impact

Wurl co-hosted three roundtables, bringing together leaders from Samsung, PubMatic, LG, Titan OS, Comcast, and top agencies to unpack how brands are defining “performance” on connected TV today.

Key themes included:

• CTV is increasingly seen as an additive performance channel — not just an upper-funnel awareness tool. However, sell-side infrastructure and measurement capabilities need to evolve to meet these growing expectations.
• Emotionally resonant creative is being recognized as a scalable lever for performance — when ads align with the emotional tone of the content, they generate deeper engagement, offering buyers a way to reach audiences during peak moments of attention.

With leaders from every corner of the CTV ecosystem in the room, one thing was clear: performance is no longer one-size-fits-all. Whether you’re a brand or agency, what matters is matching the message to the moment.

Emotion as an attention driver

One of the most talked-about sessions at the Wurl cabana featured insightful discussion between Anant Veeravalli of IPG Mediabrands, Yan Liu of TVision, and Wurl’s own Peter Crofut.

Drawing on early findings from our upcoming study with TVision, the panel revealed that emotionally aligned ads held viewer attention for more than twice as long as misaligned ads.

Real-world use cases brought this to life:

• A QSR campaign with PMG saw a 48% lift in sales and 40% lift in store visits
• Financial services brands saw improvements across both brand favorability and purchase intent

The bottom line? Emotion isn’t just a creative flourish — it’s a performance driver. And CTV is uniquely positioned to harness it.

Scaling FAST Globally: What’s working and what’s next

In our FAST-focused session, execs from Nexxen, Zee, FreeWheel, LG, Vevo, and Titan OS shared what’s working — and where the pain points still exist as FAST publishers look to gain more traction in markets like EMEA.

Key topics:

• There’s a clear need for standardized bid signals and interoperable metadata. Inconsistent signals, modified bid requests, and fragmented measurement protocols are bottlenecks for scaled advertising campaigns.
• TV OEMs are playing a central role in driving growth, especially across emerging markets. Their influence on content discovery, platform UX, and promotion is shaping how streaming expands internationally.
• Education and simplicity are critical to onboarding both brands and viewers. Many consumers still don’t understand FAST, and agencies need clearer explanations of its value, mechanics, and measurement options.
• Content discovery and monetization remain major challenges across international markets. Oversaturated channel lineups and costly setup and maintenance are straining publisher models globally.

As one participant put it when discussing the global opportunity: “FAST is growing fast — but the pipes aren’t built for the volume yet.”

Despite the friction, momentum is on our side. The industry is aligning around what needs to change to make global streaming work.

Looking ahead

As CTV continues to evolve, Wurl remains focused on what we believe matters most: performance that’s measurable, creative that resonates, and infrastructure that delivers at scale.

Thanks to everyone who joined us at Cannes — we loved hearing your ideas, sharing our research, and planning for what’s next. If you missed us at the cabana, let’s keep the conversation going.

See you at Cannes Lions in 2026!