Key stat: This year, media and entertainment brands will spend nearly twice as much on linear TV ads (10.0%) as they will on over-the-top (OTT) streaming services (5.4%), according to MediaRadar data and an August 2025 EMARKETER forecast.

Beyond the chart:

• Prescription pharmaceuticals accounted for 13.1% of US linear TV ad spend in Q3 2025, the highest of any industry, per an October report from iSpot.tv.
• Almost a third of Gen X, boomers, and seniors (31%) watch 1 to 3 hours of live TV daily, according to May 2025 data from YouGov.

Use this chart: Marketers and media planners can use this chart to reassess their channel mix and benchmark their OTT allocations to stay competitive in a fragmented video ecosystem. Agencies can use this data to guide clients toward more data-driven, audience-first video strategies across both linear and OTT platforms.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Digital Video Forecast and Trends Q3 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• US TV Ad Spending by Industry 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Estimates are based on the analysis of various elements related to the ad spending market, including macro-level economic conditions; historical trends of the advertising market; historical trends of each medium in relation to other media; reported revenues from major ad publishers; estimates from other research firms; data from benchmark sources; consumer media consumption trends; consumer device usage trends; and eMarketer interviews with executives at ad agencies, brands, media publishers and other industry leaders.