Programmatic advertising growth reaches 72%
New data reveals significant shift to privacy-first targeting as ID coverage drops below 50% for mobile advertising in 2025.
The latest State of Programmatic Report from Comscore, released on January 21, 2025, reveals fundamental changes in digital advertising driven by privacy regulations and evolving consumer expectations. The comprehensive survey of over 150 advertising decision-makers highlights the industry's rapid adaptation to a privacy-centric future.
According to the report, 72% of marketers plan to increase their programmatic advertising investment in 2025, marking a significant rise from 62% in 2024. This growth comes as Connected TV (CTV) emerges as a dominant force, with its share of media budgets projected to double from 14% in 2023 to 28% in 2025.
The shift toward CTV represents a broader transformation in media allocation. Traditional platforms face mounting pressure as 46% of marketers indicate plans to reallocate funds from Linear TV to CTV. Web and Mobile Digital channels also experience budget constraints, with 34% of marketers planning to redirect these investments toward streaming platforms.
Privacy concerns continue to reshape targeting capabilities. Mobile advertising faces particular challenges, with 54% of mobile impressions now lacking identifier coverage. Desktop environments show similar trends, with 36% of impressions operating without traditional tracking capabilities. These changes force marketers to adopt new strategies, as only 1% report no plans to implement cookie-free targeting by the end of 2025.
In response to these challenges, contextual targeting emerges as the primary solution for 41% of marketers, slightly outpacing first-party data strategies at 40%. The industry demonstrates growing confidence in privacy-compliant approaches, with 54% of marketers planning to increase their use of contextual data in 2025.
The regulatory landscape adds another layer of complexity. Sixty percent of marketers report feeling prepared for upcoming privacy changes in 2025, while 35% indicate partial readiness. This preparedness becomes increasingly critical as states across the U.S. implement varying degrees of privacy legislation.
Measurement strategies also evolve to match the changing landscape. Reach and frequency metrics lead marketing priorities at 70%, followed closely by conversion rates at 69%. The importance of cross-channel measurement becomes evident as 80% of marketers emphasize the need for deduplicated reach and frequency measurement in programmatic environments.
Social media maintains a consistent presence in programmatic strategies, holding steady at 20% of total media budgets. Meanwhile, audio and podcast advertising shows modest growth, increasing from 7% in 2023 to 9% in 2025, though remaining the smallest share of programmatic spending.
The survey, conducted between November 5 and November 22, 2024, reflects responses from brands, agencies, and publishers navigating the evolving digital advertising ecosystem. These findings underscore the industry's decisive move toward privacy-centric solutions while maintaining effective audience targeting and measurement capabilities.
Channel effectiveness varies significantly by objective. CTV demonstrates particular strength in brand-building, with 80% of respondents identifying it as primarily achieving brand objectives. In contrast, Web and Mobile Digital channels show stronger performance orientation, with 70% of marketers citing these platforms as primarily driving performance goals.
As the industry approaches 2025, these trends indicate a mature market adapting to new privacy realities while maintaining growth trajectories. The focus shifts decisively toward privacy-compliant targeting methods, cross-channel measurement, and emerging media formats, marking a new chapter in programmatic advertising's evolution.