CTV has firmly established itself as central to UK TV viewing. According to our recent CTV Insights UK 2026 report, streaming is now the primary viewing platform for 60% of people in the UK.
Here we break down that research to provide a snapshot of changing viewing habits and content preferences, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing advertisers in the CTV ecosystem.
The landscape: streaming is mainstream
The scale and frequency of CTV consumption underline just how embedded streaming has become in everyday life. Around seven in ten viewers (71%) watch streaming content on four or more days each week, and more than half (52%) of viewing days involve sessions of at least two hours.
This is predominantly a big-screen, in-home experience. Some 93% of viewing takes place at home on the main television set, with smart TVs the leading connection method for 52% of users.
The average household uses 3.5 different streaming services, highlighting a fragmented but highly engaged market, with no single provider close to covering the market on its own. Paid subscription services have the greatest reach: Netflix emphatically leads the UK landscape, reaching 70% of viewers, followed by YouTube at 48% and Prime Video at 46%.
For advertisers, CTV can no longer be treated simply as an extension of digital video. It is where audiences are spending more and more of their television time.
93% of viewing takes place at home on the main television set
— Nano Interactive CTV Insights UK 2026 report
Content is key to attention
There is no single CTV audience, and context and content are the most important factors for advertisers. Viewing habits also vary considerably according to age and gender. The research shows:
- Films are the most popular type of streaming content across the board, watched by 65% of viewers, followed by documentaries at 37% and drama or box sets at 34%. Film gives scale, smaller genres give precision.
- Live sport has a strong male skew, with 47% of men watching compared with just 15% of women. It also peaks among 35 to 44-year-olds and is a particularly powerful environment for brand discovery, with 71% of these viewers identifying it as a leading setting for discovering brands.
- Younger adults show stronger preferences for reality and entertainment content, and are the most likely to take action after seeing a streaming ad, making them particularly valuable for brands looking to turn exposure into measurable outcomes.
These differences demonstrate the importance of understanding not merely who is watching CTV, but combining that knowledge with what they are watching.
CTV drives action, but relevance is critical
The report presents a compelling case for the effectiveness of streaming advertising, with 61% of viewers saying they have taken action in direct response to a streaming ad. That could mean searching for a brand, visiting its website or making a purchase.
Yet the opportunity comes with a significant caveat: relevance matters.
While 82% of viewers are happy to accept advertising in return for a cheaper subscription, only 48% believe the streaming ads they see match their household interests, and 73% notice when ads are clearly mismatched to their life stage. There’s therefore a clear distinction between accepting advertising and finding it useful.
Poor targeting can also actively damage brand perception. Most significantly, half of viewers say they have been put off a brand because of repetitive advertising, and 22% say it has happened more than once. That is the biggest turn-off viewers reported anywhere in the study.
The message for advertisers is straightforward, more CTV inventory does not automatically mean better advertising. Data fragmentation across the CTV landscape has made it difficult for planners to activate frequency capping, or even merely to ensure that consumers are served relevant ads. Yet that is exactly what brands need - to be able to deliver the right message to the right audience, while avoiding repetition that wastes impressions and turns attention into irritation.
Poor targeting can also actively damage brand perception... half of viewers say they have been put off a brand because of repetitive advertising.
— Nano Interactive CTV Insights UK 2026 report
Three audiences, three opportunities
The report identifies three particularly important audience profiles:
- The always-on streamer, aged 25 to 34, represents 20% of the population. This group is highly engaged with digital habits and exceptionally responsive to advertising, with 87% acting after seeing an ad on streamed TV.
- The family co-viewer, aged 35 to 44, accounts for 22% of the population. This is the heaviest daily viewing group, with long viewing sessions often shared with children or partners. The shared nature of their viewing makes household context particularly important.
- The untapped late adopter, aged over 55, represents a substantial 33% of the population. Despite high viewing volumes, this audience is less responsive to advertising, suggesting that the opportunity lies not in increasing reach but in improving relevance.
What’s next for CTV?
The findings point to a market that has moved beyond experimentation. CTV in the UK is now a mainstream television environment, combining significant reach, frequent viewing and the potential to drive real consumer action.
But the next stage of growth will depend on quality as much as scale. As audiences become accustomed to streaming, advertisers need to move beyond simply reaching viewers and focus on creating experiences that feel relevant to them.
For brands, the opportunity is considerable. CTV can deliver the impact of the big screen with the targeting and measurability associated with digital. It belongs in the media mix. The challenge is to ensure that CTV advertising is relevant, engaging and memorable - without becoming repetitive or impacting the brand’s perception.
*Methodology: The report is based on a nationally representative survey of 504 UK adults conducted by Nano Interactive in August 2026.