Streaming and Retail Media Reshape Advertising’s Core Mix.

CTV and Retail Networks Grow, But Traditional Channels Retain Strategic Weight.

Streaming’s Critical Mass

Streaming is no longer experimental; it is the anchor of media planning. Nielsen finds that 56% of marketers will increase OTT/CTV investment in 2025, rising to 68% in North America. Streaming platforms now command 42.4% of U.S. ad-supported viewing, overtaking cable for the first time.

This is not just a North American phenomenon. In Asia-Pacific, advertisers are deploying CTV to extend reach in fragmented mobile-first markets. In Europe, despite budget cuts, broadcasters’ streaming extensions are gaining traction as cost-efficient complements to linear campaigns. Latin America lags in absolute scale but is growing fastest in percentage terms, as local broadcasters expand streaming ad inventory.

For global brands, CTV’s ascent changes the planning logic: reach and addressability are no longer trade-offs. Streaming delivers both, but at a rising cost, which is why disciplined measurement and frequency control are now non-negotiables.

Retail Media Networks as Full-Funnel Engines

If streaming has matured, retail media networks (RMNs) are the breakout growth channel of 2025. Nielsen’s data shows 65% of marketers expect RMNs to grow in importance this year, with North America leading at 74%. What began as a lower-funnel, shopper-marketing tactic has become a full-funnel platform.

Consumer packaged goods brands are shifting budgets to RMNs not only for conversion but also for brand campaigns. In Asia-Pacific, retailers are leaning into closed-loop attribution, proving RMNs can drive awareness as well as sales. In Europe, budget cuts are accelerating RMN adoption as marketers seek measurable efficiency under scrutiny. Latin American advertisers, facing less mature infrastructure, still treat RMNs primarily as performance tools but are experimenting with loyalty integrations.

The key shift is not whether RMNs work, it is how far up the funnel they can reach. For categories like grocery and personal care, retail platforms now rival traditional broadcasters for top-of-funnel visibility. That inversion is remaking the hierarchy of media planning.

Traditional Media’s Endurance

The narrative that traditional media is dying does not hold in 2025. Nielsen’s data shows 44% of marketers aim for a balanced split between digital and traditional channels, most targeting a 40–60 range. Latin America demonstrates the most even mix. North America, despite its CTV leadership, is actually dialing back digital slightly to preserve reach through linear.

Sector dynamics explain why. Healthcare and pharmaceuticals remain locked into linear TV and radio because regulation and older audiences make digital targeting less effective. Travel brands are defying digital orthodoxy: Nielsen reports travel advertisers increasing TV spend by 11% in 2025, betting on broad emotional storytelling to drive inspiration and bookings.

The lesson is not nostalgia for TV or radio. It is recognition that traditional channels still deliver unique value: regulated trust, cultural authority, and wide demographic penetration. Cutting them entirely is a false economy.

Media Mix in Transition

The media mix is not converging toward digital dominance; it is settling into hybrid equilibrium. Digital platforms capture efficiency and accountability, while traditional channels preserve reach and credibility. The winners in 2025 will be those who can orchestrate both, shifting spend fluidly without ideological bias.

This hybrid equilibrium is fragile. Without robust measurement, digital’s promise of accountability erodes. Without disciplined storytelling, traditional channels risk becoming cost centers rather than growth engines. CEOs must treat mix management as a board-level capability, not a marketing-side debate.

Recommendations For CEOs

• Fund CTV With Discipline: Treat streaming as a core reach medium but enforce strict frequency controls to protect ROI.

• Elevate RMNs Beyond Conversion: Deploy retail networks as brand platforms, not just checkout tools, especially in FMCG and grocery.

• Defend Traditional Reach: Maintain linear investment in sectors and markets where regulation or inspiration demand mass storytelling.

• Mandate Hybrid Planning: Eliminate digital vs. traditional silos. Demand plans that integrate channels around business outcomes.

• Tie Channel Choices To Proof: Require transparent, third-party verified metrics across all channels, digital and traditional alike.

Bottom Line

Advertising in 2025 is not digital-only, nor is it a nostalgia play for TV. It is a hybrid discipline where connected TV and retail media drive precision, while traditional channels sustain reach and trust.

Leaders who master this equilibrium will compound both efficiency and influence, while those who swing too far toward either pole will discover that efficiency without reach, or reach without accountability, collapses growth.