2025 Predictions For Streaming: Content Innovation, Strained Pricing And Consolidation

Keith Valory is CEO of Plex, a global streaming media company and one-stop shop to discover all your favorite movies and TV shows.

In 2024, streaming continued to rewrite the rulebook for how audiences consume content and how companies deliver it. As a result, streaming is making incredible progress in becoming a multitrillion-dollar industry over the next decade.

Looking ahead, 2025 will be a pivotal year that shapes the trajectory of the streaming ecosystem and who the likely winners and losers will be along the way. Here are my top three predictions for the trends defining streaming in 2025.

The Rise Of Independent Creators On Streaming Platforms

Independent content creators dominate studios on YouTube, TikTok and other online platforms. They produce authentic, spontaneous and innovative content that appeals to the unique sensibilities of Gen Z audiences in a way studio-led content companies just can’t match. To meet the demands of this influential audience, streaming platforms will increasingly partner with independent creators to feature their content alongside traditional studio productions.

FAST platforms can offer independent creators and influencers a vehicle for experimenting with more “produced” content alongside studio-created productions. While this helps creators finance their projects and find new audiences, it also allows FAST platforms to demonstrate their commitment to providing audiences with the best content, regardless of its origins.

Expect independent-focused FAST channels and creator-driven hubs to become more mainstream over the next year. These will give viewers a curated collection of high-quality independent content. It will also help advertisers capture more eyeballs and generate more revenue to invest in creator and studio content—a win for all parties.

More Ad Spending But Continued Pricing Pressure

The rise of FAST channels has redefined how viewers access content by providing a free, accessible alternative to cable and subscription-based streaming services. According to Digital TV Research (via Media Play News), FAST revenue is expected to reach $16.5 billion by 2029, up from $7.6 billion in 2023.

With Amazon, Netflix, Paramount, Disney and others entering the connected TV ad market in 2024, the supply curve shifted dramatically to the right, resulting in a decrease in CPMs of 25% to 30%. Everyone in the space felt the pressure. Although CTV now has more viewers than broadcast, the entrenched habits of media buyers mean that until now, broadcast has still received the majority of the ad dollars. The shift to CTV from broadcast is inevitable as advertisers follow audiences, but how quickly this happens remains to be seen.

Although there isn’t another Amazon, Netflix, Paramount or Disney to enter the space in 2025, growth in ad supply from these new players will likely continue to put pressure on pricing. However, I believe we will see ad spend rapidly migrate from broadcast to CTV, along with advertisers increasing their use of premium ad segments, which will offset broader pressure on CPMs. In 2025, I believe we will see CPMs in the CTV space bottom out 5% to 10% below where they were in 2024, with stabilization and growth starting in late 2025 and into 2026.

2025 will continue to see internet and social media usage fracture across different services that cater to specific interests. For FAST platforms, this will mean introducing new features to help make content feeds more personalized so content is more discoverable and shareable. By letting watchers share their favorite TV shows and movies just like they share links and viral videos, these platforms can tap into the power of today’s fractured social media experience to amplify the reach of their content, serve a desire for personalized content recommendations and improve the user experience.

Consolidation And Conversion To FAST

As streaming matures, the industry’s largest players will shift gears in 2025. Due to falling interest rates, pent-up demand for M&A and the incoming administration, I believe the industry will likely see more consolidation as the major studios and streaming platforms pursue acquisitions to bolster their content libraries, extend their reach and secure their positions in a crowded market.

Smaller entities may become acquisition targets, while deregulation will create opportunities for mergers that may have been previously off the table due to antitrust concerns. Acquirers will prioritize accretive deals rather than aggressive growth strategies.

While some major studios will continue to write down the value or spin off their cable networks, talk of studios selling their networks seems speculative due to the lack of potential buyers. Instead, studios may analyze their portfolios and convert viable niche channels into pure-play FAST channels. This will align with growing customer demand for free, accessible content while giving networks the opportunity to capitalize on the significant advertising revenue FAST platforms can offer.

After big sports swings in 2024 by Peacock, Amazon Prime, Netflix and Apple, 2025 should be more of a transitional year as streamers take stock, build the financial case and continue to scoop up media rights. While it won’t happen in 2025, I believe the streamers will eventually dominate live sports programming—marking another critical shift away from the traditional broadcast/cable media model.

Looking Ahead

Streaming is displacing cable as the dominant mode of content delivery. As the industry expands its content offerings, experiments with new business models and refines its approach, 2025 will set the tone for what the next decade of streaming looks like. Stay tuned for more details as these trends unfold throughout the year.

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