Streaming now accounts for 48% of all U.S. TV viewing time, and 45.6% of that time runs ad-supported, according to Nielsen's February 2026 Gauge report.¹ Ad-supported streaming viewership was up 9% quarter over quarter.¹ The ad dollars are following. CPG categories that spent the last decade fighting for linear GRPs and social impressions are now negotiating a different question: as fragmented audiences jump between free and paid streaming services, which environment actually moves the needle for brand trust?
Free streaming has become one of advertising's highest-trust environments
A recent Harris Poll Study commissioned by Tubi found that 74% of streamers said they like brands that advertise during free streaming because those advertisers support the content they want to watch.² There's a handshake between people who watch free streaming and the ads that provide that experience. Eighty-three percent called the ad-for-content trade fair.² Three in four said they would rather watch ads and treat themselves to other life enjoyments — like food and beverages — than pay full price for ad-free streaming.² This receptiveness to ads also creates a higher level of trust in the ads viewers are seeing.
Streaming ranked as the second-most-trusted source of advertising in the study, behind only a brand's own website and ahead of traditional TV, email and every social-driven format.² The same research found that viewers trust streaming ads roughly 20% more than they trust social media ads.² For CPG marketers fighting to break through in a fragmented landscape, that trust matters as much as reach.
"Free streaming earns trust that most of the media landscape has to fight for, and for us it's a pretty simple fight to win," said Chris Grillo, Tubi's vice president of CPG Ad Sales. "Viewers understand the deal. The ads pay for the content, and they're choosing to experience the ad break in exchange for something they wanted to watch. That kind of transparent value exchange is rare in advertising." For CPG categories where purchase decisions still hinge on familiarity and shelf instinct, that trust translates into outcomes.
An analysis of Tubi's performance in the CPG category showed that advertisers averaged a roughly 4-to-1 return on media investment.³ "What's resonating today is closed-loop measurement," Grillo said. "Incremental sales lift, incremental reach against the linear plan and ROAS validated by a third party. When those three numbers land on the same page, the conversations we have with clients quickly moves from 'did the ad work' to 'how much more of the plan should move here.'"
Co-viewing turns one impression into a household decision
CPG ads on free streaming are rarely seen alone. Thirty-six percent of Tubi viewers watch with a significant other, and 26% watch with their children.²
"Most CPG brands are still optimizing toward a single viewer," Grillo said. "The reality of free streaming is that the impression often lands on a couple or a family, and the conversations about what purchases they are going to make happen in the room, not on their phone."
Eighty-four percent say the ad breaks during family streaming create a natural opening to discuss what they are watching, and 72% say those ads often surface products the household actually needs to buy.² The shopping behavior closes the loop. Eighty-three percent add streaming-night supplies into their regular grocery trips, with beverages (78%), savory snacks (73%) and sweet treats (63%) topping the must-buy list.²
What CPG marketers should take into the next planning cycle
As brands evaluate media plans for the coming year, several themes are emerging. Consumers are increasingly opting into ad-supported experiences, giving marketers access to audiences that are actively choosing the advertising model. Streaming campaigns may also benefit from household-oriented creative, with co-viewing across free streaming environments making campaigns built around shared consumption occasions more likely to resonate than highly individualized messaging. And incremental reach is becoming a more important measurement benchmark. Tubi reported an average 91% incremental reach compared to linear TV campaigns,⁴ underscoring streaming's role in extending household penetration beyond traditional audiences.
"If you're a CPG CMO and you are still putting 70% of your budget into linear TV, you are overpaying for an audience that's shrinking," Grillo said. "At the same time, you're underspending on the audience that's growing. While you don't need to overhaul your strategy instantly, your planning mindset does. Free streaming is winning because it delivers both massive reach and deep consumer trust. Reach plus trust beats reach alone."
The next CPG planning cycle will be won where reach and trust converge. On free streaming, that convergence is already in motion.
1 Nielsen Gauge, February 2026
2 The Harris Poll x Tubi, Q4 2025; n=607
3 Aggregate CPG Sales Lift, InMarket, Q4'25-Q1'26, N=6 100% Confidence Level
4 Aggregate Incremental Reach, Innovid, Q4'25-Q1'26, N=20
