Subscription Fatigue Raising Tolerance for Streaming Ads

The bloom might be coming off paying for commercial-free subscription streaming services, according to a new study from digital ad verification company Integral Ad Science.

A survey of U.S. consumers found that 76% said they’re willing to see ads in exchange for watching free streaming video. The survey also found that 55% plan to watch free video streaming services in the next 12 months.

IAS found that nearly 90% of consumers have access to a connected TV. CTV is the way consumers prefer to watch streaming content. According to the survey, 83% of consumers have at least one paid video streaming service, and on average they have access to three services.

IAS concludes that while paid streaming video services like Netflix have mainstream adoption, their growth is slowing.

"With consumers indicating they are maxing out on paid streaming subscriptions, ad-supported content will be more in-demand than ever, giving advertisers a real opportunity to reach key consumers. However, as we see ad dollars flow to this new environment, we will inevitably see fraud follow." IAS CMO Tony Marlow said.

The IAS Streaming Wars report is based on 1,270 participants evenly distributed across gender and age brackets.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.