Roku released its annual Roku Rewind, a breakdown of the biggest streaming trends of the year. Sarah Harms, VP of Advertising Marketing and Measurement at Roku, breaks it down.
What were the biggest surprises in this year’s report?
It was not long ago that marketers worried that TV audiences would become increasingly difficult to reach as ad-free streaming grew in popularity. Yet as we enter 2026, the idea of an “unreachable” streamer is quickly fading. Nearly every major streaming service now offers ad-supported tiers, and FAST channels are becoming more accepted by consumers. Today, most of Roku’s 90M+ streaming households encounter video ads somewhere along their journeys, and a third of the apps the median Roku household streamed in 2025 were free to watch.
At the same time, it’s never been more challenging for consumers to navigate a fragmented content ecosystem across TV, movies, and creator channels. Streamers are spending far too long not only looking for what to watch next, but figuring out where to find specific content —especially live sports.
How might these changes impact the way marketers do business in 2026?
The rise of ad-supported streaming indicates that consumers don’t mind seeing brands in their streaming experience, as long as the value exchange feels right. With that in mind, successful CTV strategies for marketers in 2026 will focus on helping consumers navigate the current complexity of content discovery.
For example, Roku’s curated content destinations on our Home Screen simplify browsing for our users and ensure that the most popular content across numerous apps is available in one unified destination. For brands, this creates opportunities for prominent ownership of major streaming moments throughout the year, like football season, Halloween, the winter holidays, and more.
What opportunities do these findings offer for advertisers?
As the streaming landscape becomes more complex and viewers still struggle with search and discovery, these findings present meaningful opportunities for advertisers to show up earlier and more intentionally in the consumer journey. Advertisers can reach viewers earlier in their decision cycle by targeting signals that indicate what they’re about to watch, not just their viewing history. Content curation creates openings to reach sports fans, genre loyalists, and engaged communities around other specific areas of interest. Additionally, predictable binge cycles offer premium attention windows for advertisers who plan around when people actually lean in, giving brands a competitive edge that most other channels and formats cannot provide. With CTV, consumer behavior can lead to clear, measurable strategies.
