Yes. In the United States, television remained a major advertising environment in 2023, but the label increasingly covered both traditional broadcast and cable viewing and streaming on connected TVs. Nielsen’s data show streaming’s share growing without overtaking broadcast and cable for the year; separate advertising figures show the expanding commercial role of connected TV (CTV). That shift made TV advertising more varied, not automatically obsolete—or universally effective.
What “TV” meant to advertisers in 2023
Television was no longer a single distribution channel. Advertisers could buy around scheduled broadcast and cable programming, or place ads in streaming services viewed through connected TVs and other devices. Those options overlap in the living room, but they are not interchangeable: viewing shares, ad revenues and campaign results measure different things.
For a U.S. audience, Nielsen reported that people spent about 33 hours a week with TV in 2023 and that TV content made up about half of adults’ daily media time. In its year-end review, Nielsen said streaming peaked at 38.7% of total TV use in July. Broadcast and cable still accounted for 53.2% in November, and together stayed above half of TV use throughout the year. These are measures of viewing, not proof of advertising effectiveness. Nielsen’s 2023 year-end account describes the changing U.S. mix.
Why streaming changed the advertising outlook
Streaming’s growth created a larger role for CTV and over-the-top (OTT) advertising, while traditional TV still represented substantial viewing. In April 2024, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC reported that U.S. internet advertising revenue reached $225 billion in 2023 and that CTV/OTT accounted for 42% of digital video advertising revenue. IAB also described CTV/OTT as poised to be the fastest-growing media channel in 2024, particularly as ad-supported streaming tiers expanded; that was a forecast about the coming year, not a 2023 outcome. The IAB and PwC full-year report provides that revenue context.
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A separate IAB report published in May 2023 projected U.S. digital video ad spending of $55.2 billion for 2023. That figure was a forecast made during the year, not a finalized result. The report also found that 65% of surveyed TV and video buyers called CTV a “must-buy.” It is a buyer-survey finding, not a measure of all advertisers’ views. IAB’s digital-video report sets out the forecast and survey results.
How advertisers could weigh traditional TV and CTV
The choice was not simply old versus new. The right mix depended on the campaign’s market and audience, the role of reach and targeting, and how results would be measured.
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| Decision factor | What to consider |
|---|---|
| Audience and reach | Use viewing data for the target market and audience. U.S. national viewing shares show the overall balance, not what a particular group watches. |
| Targeting and flexibility | CTV can offer incremental reach and targeting opportunities. Those possibilities do not, by themselves, establish campaign effectiveness. |
| Measurement | Check how impressions and outcomes are defined across placements. Buyers in IAB’s 2023 survey wanted multiple unified measurement currencies, and respondents disagreed about viewability definitions. |
| Plan integration | Coordinate TV and digital-video planning and execution rather than treating each as an isolated purchase. |
IAB UK recommends considering CTV alongside existing TV or digital-video activity and coordinating planning across them. Its guidance is a useful planning perspective, but it is UK-specific and does not establish that CTV is a better choice for every advertiser. IAB UK’s CTV guidance outlines the complementary approach.
Measurement remained an unresolved part of the transition
More addressable placements do not automatically make advertising easier to compare. In the May 2023 IAB survey, 81% of surveyed TV and video buyers said they wanted at least two unified currencies for impressions, while respondents differed on how to define a viewable impression. As IAB CEO David Cohen put it in that report: “As urgently as buyers want a multi-currency future, there’s no question that changing a market as large as video takes time; however, the clock is ticking.”
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- DTS Virtual-X Sound - An immersive sound format creates a three-dimensional sound experience with your TV’s speakers.
- Supports HDMI ARC - Sends audio directly from the HDMI jack to a compatible soundbar or AV receiver, removing the need for an extra cable.
The practical implication is to establish measurement definitions before comparing channels. Viewing share indicates where people watched; ad-revenue figures describe market activity; neither alone shows which placement caused better business results. The available figures do not establish campaign-level ROI comparisons between linear TV and CTV.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A separate UK example
U.S. figures should not be generalized to other markets. IAB UK lists UK CTV advertising spend at £1.62 billion in 2023 and gives a base-case forecast of £2.94 billion by 2028. The 2028 figure is a forecast, and the page does not state a publication date. IAB UK’s spending forecast provides the UK-specific figures.
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- TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.
- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
- More streaming, less searching: With personalized picks right on your Home Screen, quick access to the sports and entertainment you watch most, and fast and easy search in one place—the days of endless scrolling are over.
For later context, an IAB report published in 2025 retrospectively lists U.S. CTV spend at $20.3 billion in 2023 and $23.6 billion in 2024. Those figures were published after 2023 and should not be treated as information available to advertisers during that year. The 2025 report supplies that retrospective comparison.
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