Free from the confines of linear schedules, streaming TV audiences have reached a saturation point. While they remain enamored by their streaming experiences, the expanding web of services has become unwieldy and hard to navigate.
Not only is it taking viewers an increasing amount of time to find something to watch, many know what they want to watch and still can’t find it. This is particularly true for sports fans.
One-third of streaming viewers say that the amount of streaming options and content has a negative effect on their TV enjoyment
-2025 Gracenote streaming viewer survey
The untethered nature of video distribution is the new norm across the CTV landscape, and it’s taking its toll on audiences. Nearly 20% even report abandoning their TVs altogether when their searches come up empty.
Fragmentation isn’t going anywhere, but publishers have the opportunity to streamline content discovery journeys—even if it means helping viewers find something that another publisher distributes. While audiences understand that the landscape has many options, they would much rather open one door to get to what they’re looking for than have to open 10.
AI can improve content discovery, but not if people don’t trust it
GenAI has the power to connect people with the content they’re looking for, but trust is a considerable hurdle.
TV search and discovery in the AI era
The way people search for information is changing, and that has the potential to help people navigate an increasingly fragmented TV landscape. Without the right data, however, artificial intelligence (AI) will simply reinforce existing perceptions: It can’t be trusted. Now that AI is incorporated into many other tools people use to search for information, usage …
Grounded thinking: Why AI-powered CTV experiences rise or fall on data
Bad data is a real threat. LLMs are powerful tools, but they are only as good as the information they can access.