It’s no secret that the media landscape has been changing rapidly. The way we planned and bought Audio Visual (AV) even five years ago feels out of date now because it is.
We are right in the middle of one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen in audio-visual (AV) advertising in over a decade. Audience habits are changing, new platforms keep popping up, and while measurement is finally improving, it’s far from perfect. The real challenge these days isn’t just reaching people - it’s reaching the right people, in the right environment, and being able to prove it actually worked.
So, what does good AV planning look like in 2025? Here’s what’s changed, what’s working, and how the best brands are approaching it.
There’s always been a tendency in media to call things ‘dead’. First it was press, now it’s linear TV. Truth is, it’s not dead - it’s just changed. Linear TV is still one of the best ways to build brand fame and reach big audiences at speed, especially older and high-income groups. ITV, Channel 4 and Sky still offer huge reach on a daily basis, especially around big cultural moments like sport or live entertainment.
That said, overall impacts are down (around 10–12% in key age groups) and younger viewers are harder to find. You can’t just ‘set and forget’ with linear anymore. It needs to be bought more tactically - shorter bursts of activity, tied to moments when you know people will be watching. Sports, big drama launches, and reality TV still work but they need to be part of a joined-up AV strategy.
Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD) is no longer the bolt-on it used to be. It’s now a major player in most AV plans. A few years ago, BVOD was a nice to have and now it’s often the main way to reach younger viewers who don’t watch traditional TV.
The broadcasters have invested heavily, and it’s paid off. ITVX, Channel 4 Streaming and Sky Go are delivering huge growth in audience and technology. Completion rates often sit above 90% and the environment is safer, more viewable, and more premium than a lot of the social video options.
It’s also way more targeted. Whether you’re matching first-party data, using postcode targeting, or running creative variations, BVOD offers reach and precision. In 2025, it’s not ‘digital TV’, it’s just TV.
Connected TV (CTV) and FAST channels are the new shiny toys in AV, and they’re growing quickly for good reason. They offer extra reach at lower costs, they’re easy to buy programmatically, and there’s a lot of good long-form content in the mix be it nostalgic or bespoke.
But, and it’s a big but - measurement is still patchy, brand safety can vary massively, and a lot of the targeting relies on strong indications and guesswork rather than solid, age-old audience data.
The smart move is to treat these platforms as a useful add-on to a solid AV plan, not a replacement for linear or BVOD. They’re great for picking up light TV viewers, but you need to go in with your eyes open.
There’s some good news on the measurement front. CFlight has been a big step forward in tracking campaign reach across linear and BVOD in one place. We’re seeing more data partnerships too, like broadcasters using clean rooms to match advertiser CRM data to campaign exposure.
Disney opening up to Amazon’s DSP data was a big moment this year. Being able to target Disney+ viewers based on their Amazon shopping behaviour shows just how much the lines are blurring between brand and performance. The tools are improving, and brands can now track much more than just reach - they can start tying it back to real business outcomes.
It doesn’t matter how well you plan media if your creative doesn’t land. And with so many platforms and formats, it’s no longer enough to have one single creative approach.
Longer ads still work well on TV, but for BVOD, YouTube, and CTV, you need tighter, faster storytelling. The brands doing this well are thinking modular - they’ve got cutdowns, variations by location or time of day, and versions built for mobile or social environments.
Good creative grabs attention, keeps people watching, and delivers the message in a way that feels natural to the platform. You can’t just run your TV ad everywhere and expect it to work.
Sport remains the most valuable real estate in AV, but it’s definitely got more complicated. Rights are split, matches are spread across Sky, TNT, BBC, and other platforms. Add in the rise of fan content, documentaries, and influencers, and you’ve got a fragmented but hugely engaged ecosystem.
The most effective sport strategies are multi-layered - TV and BVOD for the big moments, CTV and YouTube for the build-up and aftermath, and social to tap into real-time conversations. Sport isn’t just a media buy anymore, it’s a cultural strategy.
If you want a campaign that delivers in 2025, you need to think about the whole AV picture. It’s not about TV or digital - it’s about combining linear, BVOD, YouTube, CTV, and FAST into a proper total video strategy.
Layer in your data, focus on attention, adapt your creative, and make sure you’re measuring actual business outcomes - not just impacts, TVRs, impressions etc.
The brands winning in this space aren’t the ones doing the same thing year after year - they’re the ones testing, learning, and adapting quickly. Total video, flexible creative, better measurement and a clear focus on business outcomes are what’s cutting through.
If you’re still planning AV like it’s 2015, you’ll fall behind. The only question that really matters now is: what am I buying, and what’s the outcome it’s driving?
In 2025, the brands that answer that well will be the ones that win.
If you are interested in understanding more or need support with your AV strategy, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Written by Michael Dupree
