2026 Upfront Planning Series

Bridge the gap between shifting trends and strategic spend with our dedicated guides. Learn to treat the multi-platform ecosystem as one, unlock incremental reach in sports, and target the granular viewing habits of your highest-value growth audiences.

The evolution of ad supported TV

Ad-supported TV has matured into a multi-dimensional landscape where every platform offers a different viewer profile. Section One explores this evolution, providing the foundational knowledge needed to treat these fragmented channels as a single, scalable ecosystem.

74%

of TV time is spent with ad supported TV

Optimizing multi-platform sports investments

Live sports distribution has evolved to a diverse, multi-platform ecosystem. This allows planners to build a more resilient footprint by bridging the gap between broadcast and streaming. Learn how to combine linear’s scale with streaming’s incremental reach to follow the fan wherever they watch.

Nearly

1/3

of ad supported minutes for adults
25-54 were spent with sports in 4Q
2025

sports accounts for 29.2% of all ad-supported TV.

Planning for growth audiences

Growth audiences move across platforms based on cultural relevance, not just channel. This guide highlights the gaps between audience attention and ad concentration, giving you the blueprint to rebalance your budget for maximum efficiency and scale.

FAST platforms
account for

1 in 3

ad supported streaming
minutes among Black
women 18+