Observed Signal · Apr 30, 2026 · Research Report · Source: VideoWeek · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Survey: Viewers Satisfied with Streaming, Ads Need Improvement
FreeWheel’s 'Voice of the Viewer' report found roughly 80% of consumers are satisfied with their overall streaming experience, with ad-supported tiers cited as delivering value for money by keeping costs down. The report highlights that advertising is one of several reasons for satisfaction but identifies opportunities to improve the ad experience. Emmanuel Josserand, Senior Director Brand, Agency, and Industry Relations at Comcast Advertising, discusses viewer complaints about streaming ads and how technology can help address them in an interview filmed at New Video Frontiers 2026 in London. The article was published by VideoWeek on 2026-04-30.
Provides consumer-sentiment insights on streaming and ad-supported tiers relevant to CTV/streaming monetisation and ad experience optimisation, but is not a platform policy or major technical release.
Track FreeWheel Signals & Market Shifts in Real-Time
Polaris7 autonomous intelligence agents track regulatory filings, primary sources, executive changes, and deal flow 24/7. Create your free Explorer workspace to monitor these entities.
Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- FreeWheel’s 'Voice of the Viewer' report found around 80% of consumers are satisfied with their overall streaming experience.
- Ad-supported streaming tiers were cited as a key strength for providing value for money and keeping streaming costs down.
- The report identifies areas where the streaming ad experience can improve and discusses viewer complaints about ads.
- Emmanuel Josserand (Senior Director Brand, Agency, and Industry Relations at Comcast Advertising) commented on the findings in an interview filmed at New Video Frontiers 2026 in London.
Connected Companies & Entities
1 Entity mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
FreeWheel Study: Viewers Accept Ads but Experience Lags
FreeWheel's Voice of the Viewer study (conducted by Dynata, 4,000 European respondents) finds streaming is now the primary TV format and 83% of viewers report satisfaction with the streaming experience. Nearly half of respondents exclusively use ad-supported tiers and roughly the same proportion chose an ad-supported plan. However, viewers report persistent ad-experience problems: AVOD viewers are 10% more likely than linear-TV audiences to find ads intrusive, over half see the same ads repeatedly in a session (frequency capping issues), and 72% say ad relevance has not improved or has worsened in five years. More than half of respondents are open to AI playing a role in ad selection. The report flags ad-timing, frequency and relevance as industry risks that could drive migrations to ad-free tiers if not addressed.
Streaming Satisfaction High, But Ads Risk Viewer Experience
FreeWheel (a Comcast company) published its Voice of the Viewer study on 4 March 2026, based on a Dynata survey of 4,000 adults across France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK conducted in H2 2025. The research finds streaming is now the preferred TV format in Europe, with 83% satisfied with their streaming experience and 73% citing content availability as the main satisfaction driver. Ad-supported viewing is common, but AVOD viewers are about 10% more likely to find ads intrusive than traditional-TV viewers; many respondents reported repeated exposures and poorly timed interruptions. Seventy-two percent said ad relevance has not improved or worsened over five years, yet a majority are open to AI helping select ads. FreeWheel stresses publishers should improve ad breaks, frequency capping and relevance to protect viewer experience and monetisation.
FreeWheel: CTV Now 50% of European Ad Views
FreeWheel (a Comcast company) published its 2H 2025 Video Marketplace Report based on aggregated advertising data from its platform. The report finds CTV dominating video ad delivery — 86% of ad views in the US and 50% in Europe (YoY growth +11% US, +33% Europe) — with live programming accounting for 25% of CTV ad views. Europe ad views grew +23% for the sixth consecutive report. Programmatic ad views expanded strongly (US +28%, Europe +38% in H2 2025) and unique programmatic advertisers rose +21% YoY. The report flags a metadata transparency gap: 'AppBundle' and 'Genre' are the most-used metadata fields while other enrichment markers remain under-adopted. FreeWheel highlights the role of AI — including AI-powered CTV buying platforms and 'agentic AI' — in automating workflows and improving publisher-advertiser interoperability.
Track Real-Time Market Signals & Shifts
Set up custom watchlists to receive automated, evidence-grounded executive digests whenever material signals or shifts occur across your tracked landscape.