“TV today” combines broadcast or linear TV delivered by cable or satellite, as well as OTT, connected TV (CTV), and on-demand live video delivered via apps on smart TVs and streaming devices.
Most of the Alpha and Z generations today think of a living room TV as a decorative item, an archaic idea born of the Boomer generations, and way past its practical usefulness. This media that united the family around series, movies, and sports has lost its appeal among today’s youth, replaced by short online reels, YouTube, Streaming platforms (OTT), and others, all thanks to their hand-held gadgets and mobiles.
Is TV dead? Maybe the way we think of TV traditionally, yes, but not in the way it is transforming.
“TV today” combines broadcast or linear TV delivered by cable or satellite, as well as OTT, connected TV (CTV), and on-demand live video delivered via apps on smart TVs and streaming devices. TV manufacturers add their own on-device activations.
“TV today mixes traditional broad-reach buying with digital, data-driven targeting. Satellite still delivers trust and mass visibility, while CTV and OTT bring precision. In the next five years, the strongest players will be those who merge both a big reach plus smart data,” Mr. Ghazwan Jassem, CEO, Al-Rabiaa TV, an Iraqi-based Media Group, told Communicate.
A 2025 report by Bloomberg argued that commerce and social video channels act like TV when it comes to reach and video ad formats, saying that a TV-like format, or convergent TV, plays a distinct role for agencies and brands.
“From an OTT perspective, today’s TV landscape is divided between SVOD models (Subscription Video on Demand), which use binge or staggered releases to extend engagement across subscription cycles, and AVOD (Advertising Video on Demand) models, which depend on frequent app visits to maximise ad impressions. These structures drive different targeting strategies. SVOD focuses on retention and deeper viewing sessions, while AVOD prioritizes reach and viewing frequency,” John Paul McKerlie, VP of Marketing and Sales, TOD, a subscription-based OTT platform by the beIN Media Group, told Communicate.
“Over the next five years, services with strong live rights, particularly sports and real-time events, will hold the upper hand.”
Convergent TV
When it comes to buying model and targeting, a typical linear broadcast sells broad, calendar-based reach. CTV and on-demand come along to offer programmatic with clearer addressable targeting and measurability, where ads and purchase intent happen in a closed-loop ROI. TV manufacturers like Samsung and LG collect data from their own audiences and their behavior on owned platforms using on-device activations.
Adtech Today, a source by AdScholars covering the latest developments in media, said in 2025 that media agencies are shifting budgets from pure reach to hybrid plans that combine premium reach for live events like sports with data-driven CTV and retail media for performance.
PubMatic, an independent technology company that provides a sell-side platform for digital advertising, said in a Q2 2025 report that performance advertisers prefer in-stream, shoppable, or programmatic creatives on CTV/retail networks. “Measurement fragmentation is the core pain point—brands demand unified cross-platform measurement and identity solutions,” it said.
A BCG Global 2025 report titled ‘The Future of TV’ said that big consultancies and retailers view retail media and live CTV as new revenue sources, while publishers and platform owners like YouTube or Samsung Ads compete to be the premium home screen.
“For newly launched or unfamiliar content, the priority is short-term reach to build awareness, often amplified through high-profile talent and broad exposure. When shifting to revenue generation, the focus moves to conversion metrics. This is what turns that reach into ticket sales, purchases, or subscriptions. Frequency is also key, ensuring messages appear often enough to drive top-of-mind recall before conversion,” McKerlie shared.
The World Economic Forum says that the business decision surrounding convergent TV is now about finding a balance between reach, the ability of an advertiser to reach a specific audience, and purchase intent, while creating measurement tools across those channels.
Which model does what?
According to McKinsey, content owners and producers such as studios, streamers, and broadcasters align their focus on editorial control and exclusive content to deliver scheduled, scale, and brand-safe environments. They benefit from audience grouping and premium originals that remain robust drivers of brand reach and ROI metrics.
“Advertisers blend short-term KPIs like clicks and view-through rates with long-term measures such as brand lift, engagement, and loyalty. Closed-loop attribution across streaming, social, and retail channels is key to connecting content directly to revenue,” Sonal Chiber, a strategic communications and marketing expert, told Communicate.
Bloomberg says that distributors and platforms like YouTube, Multichannel Video Programming Distributors, and proprietary ecosystems run by Google, Apple, or Amazon, focus on distribution scale, algorithmic recommendations, and ad tools. They enjoy unmatched reach, frequency control, and automated buying, aka programmatic. Agencies value their targeting and scale but wrestle with brand safety, a point of constant concern.
Hardware and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Samsung, LG, and others focus on device ecosystems and home-screen real estate. Brands see OEM inventories as premium, but measurement and transparency vary by vendor, according to Blomberg.
Data-rich retailers like Amazon Focus on consumers’ intent-driven signals, closed-loop ROI, and commerce activation. Retail media converts ad exposure into measurable sales outcomes, a shifty performance data for conversion-driven budgets. Yet, BCG says surveys show many brands already allocate substantial shares to retail media.
Who has (remote) control?
Future control will be a hybrid ecosystem where OEMs control access and identity and retailers control purchase intent and ROI, while content owners remain focused on brand-safe premium attention. “No single platform can be the controller. Satellite TV will stay strong for live events, while streaming and social media lead personalization and interaction,” Jassem said.
The complex issue is around where budgets will be allocated by brand and marked by retail owners looking for scale, measurable buys, and identity solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a game-changer across this ecosystem.
“AI is transforming creative work by automating repetitive tasks, generating ideas, and personalizing content at scale. Human creativity will, however, remain essential for storytelling, emotional resonance, and cultural nuances,” Chiber said.
Mckerlie added: “AI enables rapid generation of multiple asset variations, from visuals to copy, with far greater speed and scale. These tools help establish a consistent tone of voice and allow even smaller businesses to produce higher volumes of creative that previously required large teams.”
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