Streaming platforms will outpace commercial broadcasters as a subdued advertising market slows broadcaster growth, according to a new forecast.
Ampere Analysis predicts that global content spend will increase by just 0.4% year-on-year to reach $248bn in 2025. This follows a 2% growth in content investment in 2024 driven by increased ad spend on the US Presidential Election, the Summer Olympics, and the resolution of the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
Streaming services will overtake commercial broadcasters as the front-runners in global content investment, spending $95 billion on content this year. It follows a year of successful subscriber growth from password-sharing restrictions and an investment in key sporting events.
Ampere’s predicted $95 billion spend by ad-funded and subscription-based services equates to 39% of total global investment on content. However, the platforms are expected to ensure investment grows at a slower pace than revenue to maintain attractive profit margins.
In contrast, US commercial broadcasters are pulling back spending after a year of increased investment fuelled by the Presidential Election and the Summer Olympics. Beyond these one-off events, the decline in content spend reflects a broader trend seen over the past five years as broadcasters face ongoing advertising revenue challenges linked to linear viewing declines.
Peter Ingram, Research Manager at Ampere Analysis says: “Spend in 2024 was in line with Ampere’s expectations. The recovery aided by the US election, the Summer Olympics, and the end of the Hollywood strikes met the limitations of macroeconomic challenges and ongoing focus on profitability from major streamers.”
Expenditure by VOD services will increase by 6%, making these companies the leading contributors to the content landscape, surpassing commercial broadcasters for the first time. Outside the United States, commercial broadcasters continue to demonstrate resilience, maintaining their content investment throughout 2025.
