Growth marketers are always looking for the next channel to drive efficient, measurable results. For these advertisers, streaming will be a big focus in 2026 — offering the very same benefits they previously associated with search and social: scale, performance and ease of buying.
Below, we draw on insights from Roku’s annual Predictions report to break down three important trends that performance-focused marketers should keep in mind as they plan streaming campaigns in the year ahead.
1. The ad-free viewer goes extinct
In 2025, streaming surpassed cable and broadcast viewership for the first time, according to Nielsen data. And a growing share of streaming time is happening in ad-supported environments.
As major streaming services shift to ad-supported tiers, Roku viewers are seeing more ads than ever. Ninety-six percent of Roku households view video ads, and ad-supported content now accounts for nearly 74% of all TV watching. Roku predicts that in 2026, “unreachable” viewers will go the way of Blockbuster Video as 100% of viewers see ads.
This means a massive, engaged audience is now accessible to advertisers. For growth marketers, this translates to unparalleled reach and the ability to connect with consumers where they are actively consuming content.
Roku’s self-service platform makes it easy to launch ads on CTV ↓
2. CTV offers a safe space as AI eats the Internet
Powerful new Gen AI models are impacting traditional performance channels like search and social, leading to "zero-click" searches and a flood of "AI slop" that creates brand safety headaches. Streaming TV is protected from many of these issues — delivering high levels of viewer attention and measurable impact.
Already, 36% of advertisers who plan to spend more on CTV will redirect those dollars from social, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, while 32% plan to reallocate those budgets from paid search. It’s reasonable to think the proportion of advertisers opting to move money from search and social over to CTV will increase again in 2026.
When the brand fatty15 wanted to drive awareness of its healthy-aging supplements, it chose interactive CTV ads with Roku Ads Manager over cluttered social media environments. Its successful campaign drove more than 97,000 page views and a 120% ROAS.
While neither search nor social will go away soon, in 2026, both marketers and publishers will look to CTV, which is largely protected from most of the disruptive effects of gen AI. We predict that in 2026, up to 50% of streaming advertisers will subsidize CTV ad spend increases with budgets siphoned from search and social.
For growth marketers, this trend will pose a strong incentive to diversify their media mix and ensure campaigns are seen in a premium environment.
3. Self-serve targeting on CTV drives growth with local advertisers
With improved self-serve access to CTV ads and targeting, 2026 will be a great year for local marketers to test the streaming waters.
While we expect to see a wave of regionally targeted campaigns segmented by zip code with midterm political campaigns leading the way, they will be joined by a legion of local businesses, ranging from car dealerships to healthcare providers to real estate agencies.
These advertisers, who have long invested in linear TV advertising, will discover that CTV now offers a larger audience than they could find in traditional TV channels, along with many of the benefits associated with digital channels and the geo-targeting capabilities down to the zip code level with Roku Ads Manager.
For example, when Freeway Insurance used Roku Ads Manager to connect with streamers in Florida and other markets, its campaign drove 2.2 million page views on their website and 336,000 new auto vertical leads.
“The option to create local campaigns and invest more money in specific states is a huge win for us and a reason we’ll be including Roku Ads Manager on future marketing campaigns,” said Alejandra Morales, Media Director at Confie, Freeway’s parent company.
Get started on Roku Ads Manager:
You don't need a massive budget or a dedicated agency to tap into the power of CTV. Roku Ads Manager is a simple, self-serve platform designed to help growth marketers launch and manage effective campaigns on the biggest screen in the home in a matter of minutes.
- Reach a massive, engaged audience: Connect with millions of engaged streamers on the Roku platform.
- Reach your target audience: Leverage data to reach your ideal audience segments.
- Measure your impact: Optimize your campaign to key performance indicators.
- Launch quickly and efficiently: Our intuitive platform makes it simple to get started.
Don't wait. The future of TV advertising is here, and it's built for growth.
