Global content spend will increase by just 0.4% year-on-year to reach $248bn in 2025, according to research by Ampere Analysis.
This follows a 2% growth in content investment in 2024 driven by increased ad spend on the US Presidential Election, the Summer Olympics, and the resolution of the 2023 Hollywood strikes.
Ampere said streaming services will overtake commercial broadcasters as the front-runners of global content investment, spending $95bn on content this year.
The $95bn spend by ad-funded and subscription-based services equates to 39% of total global investment on content. Ampere said that 2024’s successful subscriber growth from password-sharing restrictions and key sporting events had positioned streamers to invest heavily in content this year.
However, the platforms are expected to ensure investment grows at a slower pace than
revenue to maintain attractive profit margins.
In comparison, US commercial broadcasters are pulling back spending after a year of
increased investment fuelled by the Presidential Election and the Summer Olympics.
Beyond these one-off events, Ampere said the decline in commercial broadcaster content spend reflects a broader trend seen over the past five years as TV channels face ongoing advertising revenue challenges linked to linear viewing declines. Outside the US, commercial broadcasters continue to demonstrate resilience, maintaining their content investment throughout 2025.
Peter Ingram, Research Manager at Ampere Analysis, said: “Spend in 2024 was in
line with Ampere’s expectations. The recovery aided by the US election, the Summer
Olympics, and the end of the Hollywood strikes met the limitations of macroeconomic
challenges and ongoing focus on profitability from major streamers. In 2025, expenditure by VoD services will increase by 6%, making these companies the leading contributors to the content landscape, surpassing commercial broadcasters for the first time. The continued growth of VoD spend, combined with the more cautious outlook of linear broadcasters, highlights the shifting role of traditional television as viewer demand turns to digital platforms and streaming.”
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