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There is no evidence-based universal percentage split between TV and streaming ads for awareness, consideration, or action. Choose the mix by the audience you need to reach, each channel’s incremental contribution, frequency, creative fit, cost against comparable outcomes, and how reliably you can measure results. Treat the funnel stage as the campaign objective—not as a preset channel allocation.
First, be clear about what you are comparing
“TV” and “streaming” can describe different kinds of inventory. Nielsen defines streaming as content delivered over the internet to a user’s device. OTT describes delivery over the internet, while CTV is streaming viewed on a television-connected device. CTV overlaps with streaming; it is not a separate content category.
For planning, distinguish scheduled broadcast or cable TV from streaming video watched on a television, online video watched on other devices, and ad-supported streaming inventory. They may differ in audience, viewing context, available ad formats, and measurement. A comparison that lumps them together can hide what the campaign is actually buying.
Recommended Free Tools
Choose channels by funnel objective
The funnel helps define what the campaign should accomplish; it does not determine the channel or budget by itself. Google Ads describes its own full-funnel YouTube framework as combining objectives for awareness or reach, consideration, and action. That is a platform planning framework, not proof that YouTube—or any other channel—is best at a given stage. Google also cautions that Reach Planner forecasts do not guarantee actual results (Google Ads Help: About full funnel in Reach Planner).
#1 Best Overall
- 720p resolution - View your favorite movies, shows and games in high definition.
- Alexa voice control - The Alexa Voice Remote lets you easily control your entertainment, search across apps, switch inputs, and more using just your voice. Press and hold the voice button and ask Alexa to easily find, launch, and control content, and even switch to cable.
- Access thousands of shows with Fire TV - Watch over 1.5 million streaming movies and TV episodes with access to thousands of channels, apps and Alexa skills, including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube, Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, Sling TV, Paramount+, and other services right from this TV.*
- DTS Virtual-X Sound - An immersive sound format creates a three-dimensional sound experience with your TV’s speakers.
- Supports HDMI ARC - Sends audio directly from the HDMI jack to a compatible soundbar or AV receiver, removing the need for an extra cable.
| Funnel stage | Planning objective | How TV and streaming may fit | What to assess |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Reach the intended audience and build recognition. | Linear TV and national CTV or online video can each be considered for broad audience reach; the right choice depends on the target and the reach still needed. | Audience fit, incremental reach after deduplication, and frequency. |
| Consideration | Help people understand or evaluate the brand or offer. | Use video and creative suited to explaining the message in the viewing context. Either linear or streaming may contribute if it reaches the intended audience. | Reach plus meaningful attention or engagement, using clearly defined metrics. |
| Action | Prompt a defined action, such as a purchase or another campaign goal. | Add conversion-oriented activity only when the buying and measurement setup can connect exposure to the selected action with transparent definitions. | Action definitions, reporting window, attribution method, and whether results are incremental. |
The IAB’s 2024 retail-media guidance lists both linear TV and national CTV among awareness-planning tactics. That is guidance for considering the channels, not evidence that either one will win in every market or campaign.
Compare the mix on six decision factors
Audience fit and incremental reach
Start with the people the campaign needs to reach. Ask what each buy adds after accounting for people already reached by the other. A large reported audience or impression count does not, by itself, show how many additional target people the channel delivered.
Rank #2
- Bright, clear picture: Bring entertainment to life on our 40" flat screen TV with bright 1080p Full HD—perfect for bedrooms, kitchens, and beyond. Roku Smart Picture cleans up incoming TV signals, optimizes them, and chooses the right picture mode.
- Seamless streaming: With fast Wi-Fi and apps that launch in a snap, Roku Select Series TVs get you to your entertainment quickly. You get excellent picture quality, clear sound, automatic updates, and more. It’s simple to use. Hard to outgrow.
- TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.
- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
- More streaming, less searching: With personalized picks right on your Home Screen, quick access to the sports and entertainment you watch most, and fast and easy search in one place—the days of endless scrolling are over.
Frequency and overlap
Consider how often the same person or household may see the ads across linear and streaming buys. Ask how overlap is estimated and whether reporting is deduplicated across channels. Without that information, a combined reach figure may not tell you whether the mix is broadening coverage or repeatedly reaching the same audience.
Cost and scale
Compare costs only when the audience and outcome definitions are meaningfully aligned. CPMs, views, and conversions may be counted differently across platforms and environments; a cheaper reported metric is not automatically a more efficient campaign. The evidence here does not establish current prices or a universally better-value channel.
Rank #3
- 1080p resolution - View your favorite movies, shows and games in full high definition.
- Alexa voice control - The Alexa Voice Remote lets you easily control your entertainment, search across apps, switch inputs, and more using just your voice. Press and hold the voice button and ask Alexa to easily find, launch, and control content, and even switch to cable.
- Access thousands of shows with Fire TV - Watch over 1.5 million streaming movies and TV episodes with access to thousands of channels, apps and Alexa skills, including Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, YouTube, Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, Sling TV, Paramount+, and other services right from this TV.*
- DTS Virtual-X Sound - An immersive sound format creates a three-dimensional sound experience with your TV’s speakers.
- Supports HDMI ARC - Sends audio directly from the HDMI jack to a compatible soundbar or AV receiver, removing the need for an extra cable.
Creative and viewing context
Match the creative to the message, spot length, and context in which the ad will appear. Streaming can support formats beyond a conventional TV spot: the IAB Tech Lab’s CTV guidance includes pause and menu ads. Availability varies by publisher and platform, so confirm which placements a specific buy actually includes.
Measurement quality
Ask how each reported signal is defined before comparing platform numbers. Digital video environments can use different signals and methodologies, so views or engagement labels should not be assumed to mean the same thing across providers. The IAB’s digital video measurement guidance discusses this variation; its CTV guidance also identifies fragmentation and inconsistent signal quality as measurement challenges.
Rank #4
- Bright, clear picture: Bring entertainment to life on our 24" flat screen TV with bright 720p HD—perfect for bedrooms, kitchens, and beyond. Roku Smart Picture cleans up incoming TV signals, optimizes them, and chooses the right picture mode.
- Seamless streaming: With fast Wi-Fi and apps that launch in a snap, Roku Select Series TVs get you to your entertainment quickly. You get excellent picture quality, clear sound, automatic updates, and more. It’s simple to use. Hard to outgrow.
- TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.
- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
- More streaming, less searching: With personalized picks right on your Home Screen, quick access to the sports and entertainment you watch most, and fast and easy search in one place—the days of endless scrolling are over.
- What counts as an eligible impression, view, or engagement?
- How are people or households identified and deduplicated across buys?
- What reporting window and attribution method are used?
- Can the measurement distinguish attributed outcomes from outcomes caused by the campaign?
Platform attribution can describe outcomes credited to advertising under a platform’s method; it is not, on its own, causal proof. Where feasible, use incrementality testing or broader modeling, and report the limits of the method used.
Privacy and data use
Before using audience targeting or matching ad exposures to outcomes, confirm that consent, data provenance, and permitted uses support the plan. Nielsen identifies evolving privacy regulation as a consideration for CTV and OTT in its 2024 explainer.
Best Value
- 4k Ultra HD (2160p resolution): Enjoy breathtaking HDR10 4K movies and TV shows at 4 times the resolution of Full HD, and upscale your current content to Ultra HD-level picture quality.
- High Dynamic Range: Provides a wide range of color details and sharper contrast, from the brightest whites to the deepest blacks.
- All-in-one: Get right to your good stuff. With Fire TV, you can enjoy a world of entertainment from apps like Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. Plus, stream for free with Fire TV Channels, Pluto TV, Tubi, and more. Access over 1.8 million movies and TV episodes. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
- Smart Home: Your smart home hub. Pair Fire TV with compatible smart home devices to see live camera feeds, use AirPlay, control your lighting and thermostat, and more.
- Free Content: Stream for free. Access over 1 million free movies and TV episodes from popular ad-supported streaming apps like Fire TV Channels, Tubi, and Pluto TV. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
Use audience time-spent data as context, not a budget formula
Nielsen’s 2024 OTT/CTV explainer attributes a figure to its 2024 Upfronts/NewFronts Planning Guide: among audiences aged 18–34, 60% of time spent with TV was on streaming. This is a time-spent figure for that age group, not a share of all audiences, ad spend, or evidence of advertising effectiveness. It can inform a conversation about viewing habits, but it does not establish the right channel mix for a particular campaign.
Quick Recap
Build a mix from the campaign’s evidence
- Define the stage outcome. Specify whether the priority is reach, consideration, or a named action, and decide how success will be measured.
- Describe the audience. Identify who must be reached and what audience data can be used lawfully for targeting and measurement.
- Map available inventory. Separate linear broadcast or cable, streaming on TV screens, online video on other devices, and the specific ad-supported placements under consideration.
- Estimate incremental reach and frequency. Ask how much each channel adds after overlap and what the deduplication method can actually establish.
- Align creative and measurement. Match the message to placements, then agree on metric definitions, reporting windows, and attribution or incrementality methods before evaluating results.
- Adjust based on observed performance. Use the campaign’s audience, sales cycle, available inventory, and measurement quality to guide changes. Do not treat a forecast or platform-reported attribution as a guaranteed result.
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