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A Dynamic Duo Just Locked Down 80% of CTV

Plus, what's that? Ads in my app?

June 20, 2025

Welcome to The TV Room. Your weekly digest of television, streaming, and digital media insights that matter.

This week we're covering:

  • 🤝 Roku and Amazon Team Up To Catch ‘Em All

  • 📈 Magna Predicts Ad Revenue’s On the Rise

  • 🎥 Creative Spotlight: BMW: “Heart of Joy”

  • ⚖️ With Great Revenue Comes Great Regulation

Roku and Amazon Aim for 80% of US Households

Roku and Amazon kicked off Cannes Lions with a major announcement Monday. The two streaming giants have formed a partnership that will create what they call the "largest authenticated TV footprint" in the United States.

This alliance will cover approximately 80 million connected TV households, representing over 80% of all CTV households nationwide.

The partnership activates both platforms' logged-in user bases to deliver highly identifiable audiences through Amazon's DSP. This combination of first-party data promises to dramatically improve targeting precision and measurement accuracy compared to existing methods.

Roku brings substantial reach to the table. According to Jay Askinasi, Roku's head of global media revenue and growth, the streaming provider already accounts for approximately 50% of total streaming consumption across US households through its operating system and devices.

The public launch is scheduled for Q4 2025, but early closed testing has already produced impressive results:

Early test results:

  • 3x improvement in return on ad spend

  • 42% increase in unique reach at the same media budget

  • 27% reduction in ad frequency

"We want to make it easier for marketers of all sizes to have incremental reach, more deterministic reach, and better campaign performance," said Kelly MacLean, vice president of Amazon DSP.

This collaboration aligns with Roku's ongoing strategy to expand relationships with third-party DSP platforms. Askinasi noted that Roku has previously worked with Amazon's DSP, but this represents a "substantially enriched version" of their previous offering, particularly for programmatic in-stream video inventory.

For advertisers, the deal creates new opportunities for precise targeting, enhanced campaign performance, and improved user experiences. As the CTV landscape grows increasingly competitive, this partnership establishes a new standard where logged-in, authenticated viewers become the gold standard for measurement and targeting in connected TV advertising.

Read More:

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TV Industry Updates

  • Ad market resilience: Magna predicted global ad revenue will reach $979 billion in 2025, up 4.9% from 2024.

  • Sinclair exec joins FCC panel: The FCC selected Sinclair's Louis Libin for its 2027 World Radio Communications Conference Advisory Council.

  • Tubi breaks major barrier: The FAST streaming service surpassed 100 million monthly active users and one billion hours of viewing time last month.

  • CoComelon parent targets parents: Moonbug Entertainment launched Partner Solutions to help brands reach parents through children's hits.

  • Live TV viewership plummets: Attest's new survey revealed 28% of Americans watch zero live TV daily, up from 24% last year.

  • Viant trolls rival at Cannes: Adtech firm Viant erected provocative billboards at Cannes Lions asking "Still trading on a desk?" in a direct shot at The Trade Desk.

Creative Spotlight: BMW: “Heart of Joy”

BMW's "Octowaltz" campaign showcased its new "Heart of Joy" central control unit by featuring a CGI octopus performing an elegant underwater waltz.

The Details:

  • The campaign used the octopus as a metaphor, contrasting its naturally decentralized nervous system with BMW's new centralized system that coordinates driving functions.

  • The creative process required finding the right balance between authentic octopus behavior and human-like movements, eventually incorporating playful elements like a moonwalk sequence.

  • The fluid, coordinated movements of the dancing octopus paralleled the precision, agility, and safety that the "Heart of Joy" control unit delivers in BMW vehicles.

What We Loved: The campaign reimagined a complex technical innovation into a visually captivating, cute, and memorable metaphor that communicated BMW's engineering advancement in a way that was both entertaining and clear.

Marketing Mix

  • Media scrutiny ahead: Campaign editors predict M&A scrutiny will be one of the top stories in the coming year as transparency demands continue to rise.

  • AI makeup matching: E.l.f. Cosmetics has teamed with Pinterest to create an AI-powered color analysis tool that matches users with personalized makeup recs.

  • TikTok expands AI tools: TikTok brought its Symphony suite of generative AI products to WPP and Adobe, allowing brands to use it for product showcasing.

  • WhatsApp ads arrive: WhatsApp has officially introduced ads in its updates tab, marking a significant monetization step for the messaging platform.

  • Meta on AI creativity: Meta's global business group head Nicola Mendelsohn explained how the company believes AI enhances and scales creativity.