Large advertisers plan 43% spending increase on addressable TV by 2026

Major advertisers managing budgets exceeding $1 million annually plan substantial increases in addressable TV spending during 2026, according to research released by Go Addressable on November 6, 2025. The industry association announced that 43% of surveyed advertisers expect to allocate more resources to addressable TV next year, marking a 16% increase from the 37% who indicated similar plans in last year's survey.

Go Addressable, an industry coalition led by television providers including Comcast, DirecTV, and DISH Media, conducts annual research to track advertiser sentiment toward addressable TV advertising. The organization commissioned research firm Advertiser Perceptions to survey more than 300 US marketing professionals at agencies and brands during September 2025. All respondents held responsibility for advertising budgets of at least $1 million in yearly spend.

According to the findings, 63% of advertisers who have not yet used addressable TV plan to begin testing the medium in 2026. This represents a substantial 53% increase from 2022, when only 41% of non-users indicated plans to adopt addressable TV advertising. The growth suggests that ongoing education initiatives and technological improvements have generated heightened interest among marketing organizations previously unfamiliar with addressable capabilities.

More than half of surveyed advertisers—specifically 57%—reported observing improvements in simplicity of buying, measurement capabilities, and scale within addressable TV platforms. These operational enhancements appear to address longstanding concerns about complexity that historically limited addressable TV adoption among marketing organizations accustomed to simpler digital advertising workflows.

Satisfaction levels with current addressable TV advertising options reached new benchmarks, with 31% of advertisers expressing they are "very satisfied" with available solutions. An additional 55% indicated they are "somewhat satisfied," bringing total satisfaction to 86% among advertisers currently using addressable television advertising. The percentage of "very satisfied" advertisers grew 72% from 2022 levels, demonstrating meaningful progress in platform capabilities and advertiser experiences.

The research defines addressable TV as the ability to serve targeted advertisements to specific households or users based explicitly on deterministic identifiers. This approach allows brands to define and serve messages to desired audiences regardless of where or when those viewers consume content on television, connected TV, or set-top boxes. The definition specifically excludes targeting performed exclusively through IP address matching, which Go Addressable does not classify as deterministic identification suitable for true addressable advertising.

Addressable TV capabilities have expanded significantly as the connected television advertising infrastructure has matured throughout 2025. Connected TV's share of media budgets is projected to double from 14% in 2023 to 28% in 2025, creating expanded inventory for addressable advertising executions. Programmatic advertising investment plans increased to 72% of marketers in 2025, up from 62% in 2024, supporting the technical infrastructure required for sophisticated addressable campaigns.

The survey findings reveal a notable gap between agency and brand attitudes toward addressable TV spending. Agencies demonstrate higher likelihood of increasing addressable TV allocations, suggesting that additional education may be needed to help brand marketers fully understand addressable capabilities and measurement frameworks. This pattern mirrors broader dynamics observed across retail media adoption, where agencies frequently lead platform education and implementation strategies.

Measurement improvements have been central to growing advertiser confidence in addressable television. Smartclip integrated deterministic TV measurement platform BEE into its supply-side platform in April 2025, providing the first deterministic measurement solution available within an SSP. This enabled media owners to track performance metrics across linear television, connected TV, and addressable TV using unified measurement approaches rather than fragmented analytics.

Privacy-compliant addressable targeting has gained prominence as streaming advertising capabilities expand. Utiq partnered with Visoon in October 2025 to launch consent-based identifiers for TV advertising, demonstrating that data protection-compliant addressability functions across television ecosystems. The integration creates cross-device and cross-environment identification capabilities, allowing measurement of incremental reach across different television formats and platforms.

European markets have witnessed parallel developments in addressable television infrastructure. German media companies ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL Deutschland joined forces in February 2024 to create unified addressable TV buying platforms, reducing dependence on US technology providers. The collaboration combines Virtual Minds and Smartclip technologies to offer simplified campaign management across linear TV, smart TV, and streaming platforms.

The research indicates that addressable TV adoption extends beyond established digital advertisers to include new entrants seeking television's scale combined with digital targeting precision. UK broadcasters Sky, Channel 4, and ITV announced plans in June 2025 for a unified self-service television advertising marketplace launching in 2026, specifically designed to enable small and medium-sized businesses to purchase addressable inventory across multiple broadcaster portfolios with simplified buying processes.

Technical standardization efforts support addressable TV growth. The Interactive Advertising Bureau pushed for standardized conversion APIs in October 2025 to close connected TV's outcome measurement gap, urging industrywide implementation of server-to-server data frameworks. Survey data revealed 75% of publishers identify purchases as the most commonly implemented signal through Conversion APIs, while 64% track views and 61% monitor add-to-cart actions.

Connected television pause advertising emerged as an innovative addressable format during 2025. Wunderkind launched programmatic CTV pause ads in July 2025, demonstrating 79% cost reduction per store visit and 54% above-benchmark conversion rates during testing with Ulta Beauty. The technology enables addressable targeting through Private Marketplaces while integrating QR codes for immediate consumer action pathways from television to mobile environments.

Attention measurement capabilities have validated addressable television effectiveness beyond impression delivery. Kargo CTV campaigns achieved 78% higher attention than industry standards in August 2025 research, demonstrating that specialized creative formats combined with premium inventory generate measurably superior audience engagement compared to standard connected television executions.

Platform partnerships have expanded addressable reach across connected devices. LG Ad Solutions integrated with Viant Technology in July 2025 to advance addressability across 45 million connected devices throughout the United States. These technical integrations enable household-level targeting while maintaining premium viewing environments associated with television screens.

Contextual targeting innovations address addressability without individual user tracking. Viant integrated with Wurl in August 2025 to become the first demand-side platform delivering scene-level contextual intelligence across Connected Television. This approach enables advertisers to align messaging with on-screen context in real-time rather than relying on demographic or behavioral targeting methods that face increasing privacy restrictions.

The addressable TV sector faces ongoing challenges around creative adaptation and production costs. Research published in July 2025 revealed that 72% of marketers reuse or slightly modify assets across social media and connected television platforms, with only 25% developing tailored creative for both channels. Production cost requirements ranked as the top challenge for 47.3% of marketers attempting to create multiple creative variations for addressable campaigns.

Smart television manufacturers have established addressable advertising businesses around their device ecosystems. Samsung Ads and Publica renewed their exclusive partnership in September 2025, strengthening connected TV advertising infrastructure across Samsung TV Plus, which reaches 88 million monthly active users globally. The platform delivers free, ad-supported streaming content with addressable targeting capabilities powered by first-party broadcaster data.

Go Addressable positions addressable TV as a foundational component of modern television advertising strategies rather than an experimental tactic. The organization's research demonstrates consistent year-over-year growth in advertiser adoption, satisfaction levels, and planned spending increases. The survey findings released November 6, 2025 continue a four-year tracking study measuring addressable TV momentum among major US advertisers.

The 43% of advertisers planning spending increases in 2026 control substantial budgets, given the $1 million minimum threshold for survey participation. This suggests material shifts in television advertising allocation toward addressable formats as platforms address historical friction points around buying simplicity, measurement transparency, and campaign scale across fragmented viewing environments.

Timeline

• October 2018 - GroupM launches Finecast addressable TV business in Australia, projecting 14 million addressable-capable devices within two years
• July 2021 - SevenOne Media and IP Deutschland join forces to sell addressable TV through Active Agent joint venture in Germany
• February 2024 - ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL Deutschland announce adtech partnership creating European alternative to US advertising platforms
• April 2025 - Smartclip integrates deterministic TV measurement platform BEE into supply-side platform
• June 2025 - UK broadcasters Sky, Channel 4, and ITV announce unified self-service marketplace launching in 2026
• July 2025 - Utiq partners with Visoon for privacy-first TV advertising using consent-based addressability
• July 2025 - Wunderkind launches programmatic CTV pause ads with 79% cost reduction demonstrations
• August 2025 - Go Addressable unveils research on addressable TV's impact on young adults, showing 80% watch both linear and streaming
• September 2025 - Samsung Ads and Publica renew exclusive global CTV partnership reaching 88 million monthly active users
• October 2025 - Utiq and Visoon launch consent-based identifiers for TV advertising across European markets
• October 2025 - IAB releases comprehensive guide on Conversion APIs for CTV addressing outcome measurement gaps
• November 6, 2025 - Go Addressable releases survey showing 43% of million-dollar advertisers plan spending increases in 2026

Summary

Who: Go Addressable, an industry association led by major television providers including Comcast, DirecTV, and DISH Media, conducted research in partnership with Advertiser Perceptions. The survey included responses from more than 300 US marketing professionals at agencies and brands who manage advertising budgets exceeding $1 million annually.

What: Research findings show that 43% of large advertisers expect to spend more on addressable TV in 2026 compared to 2025, representing a 16% increase from last year's survey. Additionally, 63% of advertisers not currently using addressable TV plan to begin in 2026, while 57% report improvements in buying simplicity, measurement, and scale. Satisfaction levels reached 86%, with 31% "very satisfied" and 55% "somewhat satisfied" with current addressable TV options.

When: Go Addressable announced the research findings on November 6, 2025. Advertiser Perceptions conducted the survey during September 2025, with the data representing the fourth consecutive year of tracking addressable TV adoption and sentiment among major US advertisers.

Where: The research focused on US advertisers and agencies managing substantial advertising budgets across television, connected TV, and addressable TV platforms. Go Addressable's membership includes television providers operating across cable, satellite, and streaming distribution systems throughout the United States.

Why: The findings matter for marketing professionals because addressable TV adoption is accelerating among major advertisers as platforms address historical friction points around complexity, measurement, and scale. The 43% planning spending increases in 2026 signals material budget shifts toward addressable formats. For television providers, the research validates investments in addressable infrastructure and measurement capabilities. The advertising technology sector should note that 63% of non-users plan to adopt addressable TV in 2026, creating opportunities for platforms that simplify buying workflows and provide transparent measurement frameworks across fragmented viewing environments.