Content-driven ads to reach $663.5 billion in 2025, up 8% on streaming, social surge: WPP Media

Content-driven advertising is set to account for 58% of global ad revenue in 2025, before easing to 55.1% by 2030, according to WPP Media’s Media 2025 end-of-year forecast. The category is projected to reach $663.5 billion in 2025, growing 7.9% year-on-year, driven primarily by streaming formats and social platforms, while traditional linear channels continue to face structural decline.

Linear TV advertising is expected to fall 3.8% to $123.5 billion in 2025 and decline a further 2.6% to $120.3 billion in 2026. In contrast, global streaming TV is set to maintain double-digit momentum, rising 15.2% to $43.9 billion in 2025 and 15.1% to $50.5 billion in 2026.

The report notes that sports rights will remain the decisive battleground for TV’s future. India’s IPL rights auction for the 2028 cycle could potentially push out traditional broadcasters, paving the way for capital-rich digital platforms to dominate premium sports content.

Social and digital platforms continue to be the primary drivers of content-led advertising, with spending expected to reach $413 billion in 2025 (+12.8%) and $445.4 billion in 2026 (+7.8%). Their share of total global ad revenue is projected to rise from 34.8% in 2024 to 36.1% in 2025 and 36.4% in 2026.

Among other categories, total audio advertising is set for near-flat performance at $27.5 billion in 2025 (-0.1%) and $27.6 billion in 2026 (+0.3%). Newspaper advertising is expected to show short-term stability at $31.4 billion in 2025 (-0.3%) before declining 3.2% to $30.4 billion in 2026.

Gaming remains the fastest-growing content advertising segment, though from a relatively small base. It is projected to reach $8.5 billion in 2025 (+29.5%) and $10.7 billion in 2026 (+25.6%), accounting for 0.7% of total global ad revenue in 2025 and 0.9% in 2026.

Commerce advertising is expected to account for 15.6% of global ad revenue in 2025, reaching $178.2 billion and surpassing total TV ad revenue for the first time, driven by the rapid expansion of retail media.

Location-based advertising—which includes out-of-home (OOH) and cinema—is forecast to grow 6.3% to $56.9 billion globally in 2025. Total OOH spending will reach $54.6 billion (+6.3%), with traditional formats rising 4.5% to $32.5 billion, despite advertiser shifts toward more dynamic solutions.

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) is the fastest-growing segment within location media, set to increase 9% to $22.2 billion in 2025. By 2030, DOOH is projected to account for 43.9% of all OOH revenue, effectively reaching parity with traditional formats.