In the shift to streaming, advertising has been sidelined by the growth of streaming video on demand (SVOD) in the US video market. However, Hulu’s growth, along with increasing competition for consumers’ digital wallet, is helping to make the case that there is an opportunity to replicate traditional pay-TV’s subscription and advertising model. However, the market is now prepping itself for a big push at ad-supported video on demand (AVOD), as illustrated by Viacom’s acquisition of Pluto TV, Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s launch of STIRR, Amazon’s IMDbTV rebrand with European rollout, and NBCU’s Peacock set to move in 2020. However, with streaming consumers being tech-savvy and ad-resistant, AVOD players will have to execute with a supremely high degree of sophistication to fulfil their clear potential. 

Companies and brands mentioned in this report:  Amazon, Amazon Fire, Amazon Prime Video, Apple, AppleTV+, CBS, Cheddar, Comcast, Disney, Disney+, Distroscale, DistroTV, DUST, ESPN, Facebook, Google, Hulu, IMDb Freedive, IMDb TV, NBCU, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Nike, Peakcock, Pluto TV, Roku,  Saveur, Shout Factory, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Sky, Sportskool, STIRR, TheStreet.com, Vudu, Warner Media, YouTube, YouTube TV