Starbucks doubled down on TV with 88% increase, while Dunkin pulled back -61%; T-Mobile led the Telco sector with TV investment up 34%, while Verizon shifted away from TV -37%

SAN FRANCISCO, August 7, 2025 — Samba TV, the global leader in AI-driven media intelligence, today released its H1 2025 State of Advertising report revealing a clear signal of advertiser strength with 68% of the top 100 advertisers increasing their TV spend in the first half of the year, a clear sign of renewed confidence and momentum in the ad market.

The analysis sheds light on how brands are shifting their media investments to capture the attention of viewers who are rapidly adopting streaming, marked by a 46% surge in connected TV (CTV) hours watched versus one year ago. With these shifts, divergent advertising strategies emerged with major brands like T-Mobile (+34%) and Starbucks (+88%) leaning into targeted TV campaigns, while others like Verizon (-37%) and Dunkin (-61%) pulled back their TV spend to focus on digital, social, experiential and loyalty-focused programs.  

“When 68% of the top advertisers are increasing their TV investment, it’s a signal that brands aren’t retreating; they’re doubling down. In uncertain times, you have two choices: lean in to grow market share, or play it safe and focus on engaging existing customers,” said Samba TV CEO and Co-founder Ashwin Navin. “Looking at the QSR industry, for example, Starbucks is trying to return to growth by reconnecting emotionally with consumers, from the coffee to the handwritten cup, while ramping up TV spend by 88%. Dunkin’s is taking the opposite approach by pulling back on TV, down 66%, and leaning into a social-first strategy, serving up Sabrina Carpenter and deals to target a younger crowd.” 

Brands today are battling hard for share-of-voice. Still, many are relying on outdated delivery models that repeatedly target the same viewers. In a market this competitive, brands that choose real-time insights across TV and digital can go beyond frequency and unlock impact.

As the attention economy becomes increasingly competitive, Samba TV’s analysis reveals a growing gap in ad delivery, with the vast majority of ads reaching the same audiences repeatedly. With half of U.S. households now receiving 94% of all TV ads, brands are missing broad swaths of key audiences, including high-income, Asian, Hispanic, millennials, and households in Western states.

Key findings from the H1 2025 report include:

• 68% of the top 100 TV advertisers increased impressions year-over-year, signaling a "spend-through" strategy to gain market share in a highly competitive landscape.
• 46% year-over-year growth in CTV viewership hours, up from 32% growth in Q4 2024, fueled by the rise of free ad-supported streaming.
• TELCO: T-Mobile (+34%) and Xfinity (+41%) aggressively ramped up spend, while Verizon reduced TV impressions by 37% as part of a shift toward digital and emphasis on retention.
• QSR: Starbucks massively increased its ad impressions (+88%) with its "Back to Starbucks" strategy focused on the coffee, baristas and the third place, while Dunkin’s ad impressions were down 61% as the brand focused spend across digital, social, and programmatic. 
• CPG: General Mills is a strong spender on TV but is usually more focused on singular products; however, heir 46,471% spike in ad impressions, highlighting the General Mills umbrella of multiple brands together, signals a bold push to win over value-conscious, at-home consumers as grocery costs take center stage in household budgets.
• RETAIL: A continued focus on home and value saw Harbor Freight lean in with a 12x increase in advertising, while Amazon surged with a 24x increase in spend, signaling that the budget-conscious consumer is prioritizing deals and discounts.
• INSURANCE: Disruptors like Ethos ramped up their spend by 837% with bold, modern campaigns to seize market share, while legacy players like USAA also boosted their ad spend by 113%.
• AUTOMOTIVE: Amidst tariff impacts, overall TV impressions were down -8% among automotive advertisers. However, Hyundai (+19%) and its subsidiary, Genesis (+71%), were standouts in ad growth. American manufacturers rallied behind an “America First” initiative, resulting in overall increases in ad spend. 
• TRAVEL: Travel spend decreased by 4%, but a handful of brands bucked this trend, notably Universal Orlando, which led with a 384% surge in TV advertising. Vrbo increased investment by 24%, in contrast to competitors like Airbnb and Booking.com, which scaled back. Expedia Group also went on offense by boosting ads by 12%. 
• PHARMA: Nine of the top 10 advertisers in the pharmaceutical category increased advertising in the first half of 2025, with Bosch + Lomb ramping up ads by the highest margin (+297%). 
• Households earning $ 200,000 or more are receiving 13% fewer ad impressions than their share of the population, highlighting a significant targeting gap among premium audiences.
• The top 50% of households received 94% of all impressions, averaging 150 ads per day, while the bottom 50% receive just 6% showcasing a gap ripe for rebalancing.
• Entertainment and pharma dominated the share of voice amongst top advertisers, with pharma spending increasing due to new FDA approvals and direct-to-consumer campaigns.
• Progressive, Domino’s, Purina, and Dupixent earned high marks in sentiment, pairing high visibility and targeted messaging with positive social conversation.

To access the full report, visit https://sam.ba/H125USSOA_PR. 

About Samba TV
Samba TV is a global leader in AI-driven media intelligence powered by first-party data from millions of opted-in connected televisions and billions of web signals across more than 50 countries. Our independent, cross-platform measurement provides advertisers and media companies a unified view of the entire consumer journey. Leveraging our real-time insights and audience optimization, we enable marketers to reach and engage audiences with unparalleled efficiency and effectiveness across any platform and every screen. Find out more at www.samba.com/business.