What’s next for streaming TV? Key takeaways from Advertising Week New York 2025

This year’s Advertising Week New York made one thing clear: the next era of streaming TV is here, and it’s defined by balance – balance between innovation and fundamentals, between creativity and context, and between performance and scale.

At Wurl’s Streaming TV Summit held during the event, three panels brought together leading voices from across the ecosystem – including major networks, global agencies, and ad tech innovators – to unpack how the industry can drive growth, engagement, and effectiveness in an increasingly complex landscape.

Here’s what stood out.

Performance at scale starts with interoperability

In a conversation about how advertisers can drive performance at scale on streaming TV and navigate the pitfalls of fragmentation, panelists from Peer39, KERV, Paramount Advertising, and Viant agreed that defining “performance” must go beyond short-term metrics.

Christo Owen, SVP of Partnerships at Paramount Advertising, noted that streaming TV is capable of delivering full-funnel results – from brand awareness to ROAS (return on ad spend) – and such advertiser goals can be achieved through thoughtful planning, targeting, and measuring.

A similar sentiment was echoed throughout other streaming TV-focused sessions at Advertising Week New York. On a different panel, Michael Ryan, Senior Manager Ad Measurement at Roku, argued that CTV isn’t just a “mass reach vehicle” anymore – it can be flexible and used to drive different outcomes down the funnel.

But, being able to target and measure these KPIs requires interoperability – the seamless flow of data and signals between platforms. As Marika Roque, Chief Innovation Officer at KERV, suggested: data quality and standardization are essential to bridging upper- and lower-funnel performance metrics. Tom Wolfe, SVP, Business Development at Viant, added that achieving that alignment is key to reclaiming some down-funnel attribution from the walled gardens, and ultimately positioning streaming TV as a true performance channel.

Key takeaway: Streaming’s foundation is sound, but its future growth depends on refining the plumbing: improving bidstream accuracy, aligning programmatic bidding with real viewing patterns, and creating systems that make it easier for marketers to activate campaigns confidently, regardless of their KPIs.

Contextual advertising is becoming smarter and more sophisticated

The second session during Wurl’s Streaming TV Summit at Advertising Week New York focused on the promise of contextual advertising – and the relevant strategies that are helping to protect brand equity, enhance audience engagement, and elevate the overall ad experience on streaming TV.

Agency representatives from KINESSO, Butler/Till, and Kepler Group agreed that contextual targeting is helping to drive more relevant and consistent ad experiences in a world where consumers expect a higher level of personalization and curation. Still, as Sarah Stern, SVP, Head of Performance at KINESSO called out, the biggest challenge lies in TV buyers’ resistance to test and invest in new strategies, even as the evidence of contextual targeting’s effectiveness mounts.

Joe Nowak, SVP, Growth & Strategy at Kantar added that the industry needs standardized contextual guidelines – a key focus for us at Wurl, where we’re helping advertisers access scalable, standardized CTV inventory for contextual campaigns.

Key takeaway: Contextual advertising’s power lies in helping brands reach viewers during premium, relevant moments. It isn’t a replacement for traditional audience-based targeting – rather, it’s an enhancement – and increased adoption lies in balancing innovation with the fundamentals like scalability and standardization.

Free streaming channels move from experimental to essential

Insights from our latest CTV Trends Report underscored the growing prevalence of free ad-supported streaming among today’s viewers, with the number of monthly active households watching such channels growing 12% over the past year.

Onstage, panelists from Roku, AMC Networks, and FreeWheel talked about how free ad-supported channels have been cemented in today’s ecosystem, touting the medium’s proven viability and scale. Amy Leasca, EVP, Partner Management & Strategy at AMC Networks, noted that free ad-supported streaming has moved from experimental to core at her company – and should be viewed as a complement to SVOD and linear distribution strategies.

However, the group also stressed that the next phase of free streaming’s growth will require cleaner infrastructure and streamlined systems. As Alex Strickland, Sr. Director, Strategic Relationships at FreeWheel, noted, efficiency depends on “intelligent plumbing” while clean, logical infrastructure is critical to preserve performance and transparency.

Key takeaway: Free ad-supported streaming is here to stay – but its sustainability depends on simplifying the tech stack and strengthening trust through transparency.

The bottom line

At this year’s Advertising Week New York, streaming TV proved it’s entering a new maturity phase – one where innovation and fundamentals must evolve together.

As Wurl continues to power this evolution, one thing is certain: the future of streaming belongs to those who can connect technology, transparency, and storytelling to deliver value – for advertisers and audiences alike.