Study: YouTube Leads Global Streaming Ad Growth

Why It Matters

YouTube’s dominance signals that advertisers prioritize scale and verifiable outcomes on CTV, reshaping media buying strategies and accelerating investment in addressable streaming inventory.

Key Takeaways

• 70% of marketers increased YouTube streaming ad spend
• 65% boosted investment in Netflix streaming ads
• 59% raised ad spend on Amazon Prime TV
• 48% expanded budgets for Samsung streaming environments

Pulse Analysis

The DoubleVerify "Must‑CTV: Streaming’s Shift From Promise to Performance" report arrives at a pivotal moment for connected‑TV (CTV) advertising. By aggregating billions of DV‑protected impressions and conducting controlled tests alongside extensive marketer and consumer surveys, the study offers a data‑rich snapshot of where ad dollars are flowing. Its methodology—combining real‑world campaign data with longitudinal feedback—provides a level of granularity that traditional TV ratings lack, giving brands confidence in the performance metrics of streaming placements.

YouTube’s lead, with 70% of marketers upping their spend, reflects the platform’s unique blend of massive reach and sophisticated measurement tools. Unlike legacy broadcasters, YouTube can deliver audience‑level insights, brand‑safety controls, and dynamic creative optimization in real time. This capability appeals to advertisers seeking both scale and accountability, especially as consumer attention fragments across devices. Netflix and Amazon Prime also show strong growth, indicating that premium, subscription‑based environments are becoming viable channels for performance‑driven campaigns.

For the broader industry, the findings signal a continued migration of ad budgets from linear TV to addressable streaming. Brands will likely increase reliance on verification partners like DoubleVerify to ensure viewability, fraud protection, and accurate attribution. As competition intensifies among CTV platforms, advertisers must balance reach with data integrity, prompting a rise in programmatic buying and cross‑platform measurement solutions. The trajectory points toward a more data‑centric, performance‑focused advertising ecosystem where streaming TV is no longer an experimental channel but a core component of the media mix.