Advanced Television

Report: CTV ad views up 31% YoY in Europe

September 30, 2025

The FreeWheel Video Marketplace Report (VMR) highlights the changing dynamics of how enterprise-class content owners and distributors are monetising premium digital video content.

The data set used for this report is one of the largest available on the usage and monetisation of professional, rights-managed ad-supported video content worldwide and is based on aggregated advertising data collected through the FreeWheel platform. This most recent edition of the VMR explores video advertising trends for the first half of 2025 and includes findings that build on the insights revealed in the previous VMR (released in H2 2024) in both the US and Europe. 

In the first half of 2025, ad views on CTV devices rose significantly year-over-year with an increase of 31 per cent in Europe and 8 per cent in the US, cementing CTV as a primary device for premium video ad consumption. Overall ad viewership grew year-over-year in Europe and the US, 27 per cent and 6 per cent respectively, reflecting the continued power of streaming in engaging audiences.  

Ad view distribution remained consistent with H2 2024 figures. The majority (56 per cent) of ad views in the US occurred on live content, partly due to the popularity of live sports and FAST channels. In contrast, Europe’s ad views were predominantly (76 per cent) on free broadcaster VoD content. However, the share of live ad views in the region is growing as services expand their FAST offerings. 

Programmatic now represents 30 per cent of overall ad delivery in the US, while in Europe it stands at 19 per cent. The report indicates a significant year-over-year increase in programmatic ad views, +44 per cent in Europe and +29 per cent in the US. Programmers are continuing to embrace programmatic, leading to a +14 per cent rise year-on-year in the number of unique advertisers leveraging automated ad delivery. In H1 2025, new-to-programmatic advertisers achieved 29 per cent more ad views than those who entered the market in the first half of 2024. Additionally, the share of programmatic for live in Europe significantly increased by 10 points from 19 per cent to 29 per cent, demonstrating the dynamic FAST environment.

Programmatic adoption is further influencing publishers’ targeting strategies, with behavioural targeting accounting for the majority of programmatic audience targeting in both the US (51 per cent) and Europe (58 per cent).  

“The growth of programmatic and ad views on CTV shows that publishers’ investments in monetisation and technology are paying off. However, there’s plenty of room to further extend automated delivery across VoD and live inventory. This will enable premium video publishers to diversify strategies, capture new advertiser spend, and drive more efficiency. The viewer experience will also benefit as a result, as improvements in ad frequency and relevancy will reduce ad fatigue, creating more engaging streaming experiences,” commented Emmanuel Josserand, Senior Director, Brand, Agency and Industry Relations, Comcast Advertising. 

Categories: Advertising, Broadcast, Connected TV, Consumer Behaviour, Headline, OTT, Research

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