
January 27, 2025
WideOrbit Looks Back at 2024 – Plus a Glimpse Forward to 2025
As 2025 begins, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the milestones and trends that defined the media industry in 2024. At WideOrbit, last year brought exciting changes in leadership and a renewed commitment to innovation. We also witnessed transformative shifts in the media and advertising industries, laying the groundwork for what’s to come in 2025.
2024 was an exciting year for WideOrbit. In addition to Susie Hedrick’s appointment as CEO, Toni Coonce added the role of President to her duties as Chief Revenue Officer, and Brian Thoman stepped in as Chief Technology Officer. Our entire leadership team continues to distinguish itself through an unwavering commitment to creating top-quality solutions that prioritize the needs of our customers. Supporting those customers is of prime importance, with over 6,500 stations and networks that rely on WideOrbit’s traffic systems and more than 4,400 radio stations live on WO Automation for Radio.
The media industry is undergoing a seismic shift, as linear and digital business models converge and create unprecedented challenges. WideOrbit is focused on balancing new efficiency models with innovation, with the goal of delivering new capabilities while also enabling our customers to do more with less. We’ve developed data strategies that make our systems more open, empowering both WideOrbit and our customers to leverage system interoperability and more robust integrations, as well as emerging technologies like AI and machine learning. We’ll continue this work through the coming year, strengthening customer relationships and delivering value through innovative technology that helps our customers capitalize on growth opportunities in 2025 and beyond.
The Industry in 2024
The Future Is Now – And It’s Digital
The advertising industry experienced remarkable changes in 2024, particularly as digital formats gained traction. Connected TV (CTV) advertising saw significant growth, with ad spend surpassing $28 billion – up 18.85% over 2023. Combined advertising revenue from ad-supported video-on-demand (AVoD) (excluding subscription fees) and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) reached $57.94 billion, up 19.5% year-over-year. CTV’s reach also expanded, with 90% of US households now having access to connected TV platforms.


Linear TV Plays a Starring Role
Despite the growth of digital, linear TV demonstrated its enduring value in 2024, with 25% of CTV ad inventory available exclusively through linear TV sales channels. Linear TV also delivered six times the number of impressions as CTV, while retaining a 50.3% audience share across broadcast and cable. Ad spend on linear TV totaled $60.56 billion, with local broadcast TV contributing $24.95 billion. Political advertising played a key role in 2024, with political TV ad spend increasing 14.1% from 2020 to reach $4.09 billion.
Broadcast Radio: Reliable Reach
Radio also continued to prove its reliability as a medium for broad reach and engagement. Weekly broadcast radio reach remained strong, reaching 82% of US adults aged 18 and older. American adults spent an average of four hours daily listening to audio, with 67% of that time dedicated to traditional broadcast radio – a figure that rose to 75% for listeners aged 35 and older. Total broadcast radio ad revenue for the US and Canada hit $15.9 billion.


A Banner Year for Sports
Sports programming broke records in 2024, capturing both audience attention and ad dollars. NBCUniversal generated a record $1.2 billion in ad revenue from the Paris Summer Olympics, while commercials during live sports enjoyed 24% more engagement than any other type of programming. The WNBA saw record-breaking viewership, with 54 million unique viewers across the regular and post-season, and the 2024 World Series averaged 15.2 million viewers per game.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we move into 2025, the media industry is poised for further change, driven by the continued growth of ad-supported streaming and shifts in audience behavior. With more subscription streaming services introducing ad-supported tiers, consumers are seeking affordable ways to access a mix of streaming and linear TV – especially for live sports, as broadcast rights become increasingly fragmented.
To meet consumer demand, media organizations will need to offer compelling bundles that combine the best of subscription and ad-supported streaming with traditional linear TV.
This convergence of linear and digital will drive advertisers to seek cross-platform campaigns, making automation and AI essential for seamless transactions across traditional broadcast and streaming content. Audience measurement will also remain a hot topic, particularly with Nielsen discontinuing panel-only ratings in Q4 2025, transitioning clients to its new Big Data + Panel product, which combines panel data with third-party data from set-top boxes.
Linear TV ad spend is projected to remain robust at $57.16 billion in 2025. OTT revenue, which includes both subscription and ad-supported formats, is expected to reach $146.3 billion. FAST revenue is projected at $5.78 billion, while ad-supported subscription streaming, including subscription fees, could generate as much as $93.88 billion. Broadcast radio ad revenue is forecasted to hit $12.24 billion in the US.
As the media landscape continues to evolve, WideOrbit remains committed to delivering the tools and expertise our customers need to navigate change successfully. With unparalleled experience and a deep understanding of the industry, our Professional and Managed Services teams are here to help you achieve your goals in 2025 and beyond.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help you meet your current and future needs.