– New research in ‘Beyond the Break: Connecting Advertising Strategy with Viewer Experience’ report explores how advertisers across Europe are redefining CTV strategies around attention, viewer experience and contextual relevance
– Findings presented at Rakuten TV Enterprise LIVE London, the company’s European streaming and Connected TV forum
Rakuten TV, Europe’s original CTV and streaming experts, today unveiled new research, BEYOND THE BREAK: CONNECTING ADVERTISING STRATEGY WITH VIEWER EXPERIENCE, examining how the European Connected TV (CTV) advertising landscape is evolving as brands move beyond traditional advertising formats and increasingly prioritise viewer experience, attention, and contextual relevance across the streaming journey.
The findings are presented today by Sarah Kelleher, Director of Media Marketing, Rakuten TV Enterprise, during Rakuten TV Enterprise LIVE London, the company’s UK industry forum bringing together more than 100 senior leaders from across the advertising, content and technology sectors at The Shard, London.
The report forms part of the platform’s B2B arm Rakuten TV Enterprise’s broader strategy to simplify Connected TV and streaming advertising through its dedicated Ad Sales division, reinforcing the company’s ambition to build a more transparent, effective and viewer-centric CTV ecosystem across Europe.
Based on research conducted across key European markets, the report, which incorporates insights from advertisers, agencies and Rakuten TV viewers across Europe, highlights Rakuten TV’s unique position at the intersection of audiences and brands. The research reveals a sector entering a more sophisticated phase of growth, where advertisers are increasingly focused not only on reach and delivery, but on attention, memorability and the overall viewing experience.
The report highlights a growing “advertiser-viewer gap” emerging across the industry, where advertising objectives and audience expectations are not always aligned. As streaming environments continue to evolve, the research suggests that the future success of CTV advertising will depend on how effectively brands balance creative impact, contextual relevance and user experience.
Key Findings from the Report:
A Maturing CTV Ecosystem
CTV has evolved from an emerging channel into a core part of media investment strategies across Europe.
- 100% of surveyed professionals either actively use or plan to integrate CTV into their media mix
- 70% of respondents across Europe plan to increase their CTV investment over the next 12 months
The Shift Beyond Traditional Ad Formats
Advertisers are increasingly expanding beyond traditional instream video formats toward homescreen, pause and display advertising integrated throughout the streaming journey.
- While pre-roll and mid-roll formats remain the most widely used (57.6%), only 6.1% of advertisers rank them as the most effective
- 35.6% of advertisers identified homescreen advertising as their preferred format for visibility and discovery
- Homescreen advertising is projected to see significant growth, with a projected 64.6% net increase in investment across Europe
The findings reinforce a broader industry shift toward formats that integrate more naturally into the viewer experience and create stronger engagement opportunities beyond the traditional ad break.
Measuring Attention and Impact
The research also highlights a growing shift in how advertisers define campaign success. Rather than focusing solely on delivery metrics, brands are increasingly prioritising attention, memorability and effectiveness.
- 52% of respondents want to understand which formats are most memorable
- 51% want deeper insight into what captures viewer attention
Unlocking Future Growth
Creative quality, contextual alignment and visual integration are becoming increasingly important in campaign planning and execution. Advertising professionals identified several areas where the industry can improve campaign effectiveness:
- 49.1% of respondents cited improved creative formats as a key growth driver
- 43.1% highlighted the importance of better contextual alignment
Bridging the Advertiser-Viewer Gap
The report also found that audiences are broadly receptive to advertising when it feels relevant, balanced and naturally integrated into the streaming experience.
- 82.3% of viewers surveyed said they are open to advertising within streaming environments when delivered appropriately
Industry Moving Toward Viewer-First Strategies
The research concludes that CTV advertising is entering a new phase where success is no longer defined by reach alone, but by how effectively advertising fits within the broader viewing experience.
Across Europe, advertisers are increasingly combining instream video, homescreen and display formats with measurement approaches that balance reach, attention and brand impact. At the same time, viewer-first execution (including creative quality, contextual relevance and thoughtful ad delivery) is becoming central to long-term campaign effectiveness.
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As streaming continues to evolve, understanding how audiences experience advertising will play an increasingly important role in shaping both campaign performance and brand memorability.
The new findings reinforce Rakuten TV Enterprise’s strategy to build a more open, accountable and effective CTV advertising ecosystem for advertisers, agencies and publishers.
Cédric Dufour, CEO and President of Rakuten TV, said: “Connected TV advertising is entering a new phase of maturity across Europe. As the ecosystem evolves, the conversation is shifting beyond scale and reach toward attention, viewer experience and long-term effectiveness. This research highlights the growing importance of creating advertising experiences that feel integrated, relevant and respectful of audiences, while still delivering measurable value for brands. At Rakuten TV Enterprise, our focus is on helping simplify this increasingly complex landscape and building a more transparent and effective ecosystem for advertisers, agencies and streaming partners.”
Commissioned by Rakuten TV Enterprise, the research was conducted to explore how the industry can better align advertising effectiveness with viewer expectations across the streaming environment.
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As Europe’s original CTV and streaming experts, Rakuten TV continues to accelerate the evolution of its B2B strategy through the expansion of Rakuten TV Enterprise, building a trustworthy and thriving ecosystem for partners.
Rakuten TV Enterprise consolidates the company’s business-facing capabilities across three strategic pillars: Content, Technology and Monetisation/Advertising.
At the centre of the offering is CTVision+, Rakuten TV Enterprise’s premium publisher collection, designed to simplify access to high-quality CTV inventory across Europe. Combining brand-safe environments, advanced audience targeting, transparent buying pathways and independent verification, CTVision+ enables agencies and brands to execute scalable and effective CTV campaigns with greater confidence.
Through this unified framework, Rakuten TV Enterprise aims to create a more open, trustworthy and performance-driven streaming advertising ecosystem for the European market, empowering brands to invest with greater confidence and control, while delivering better outcomes for all stakeholders.
The full Beyond the Break: Connecting Advertising Strategy with Viewer Experience Report will be available from Tuesday 16th June at https://www.enterprise.rakuten.tv/reports
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