The living room is your launchpad: Why investing in STV unlocks brand growth

If it feels like every week brings another major Streaming TV partnership, you’re not imagining things. In just the past year, the pace of collaboration between retailers and streaming platforms has reached a fever pitch:

• Walmart celebrated five years of Walmart+ by announcing a new partnership with Peacock, giving members the flexibility to switch between Peacock and Paramount+.

• Amazon has partnered with virtually every major player - Netflix, Roku, Disney, and more - offering advertisers unmatched scale and authenticated reach.

• Amazon and Spotify’s recent partnership brings streaming audio into the retail media mix.

• Walmart’s acquisition of Vizio, plus partnerships with NBCUniversal, are redefining what’s possible in shoppable, measurable TV.

And that’s just the headline reel. The bottom line: the living room has become a launchpad for the next phase of commerce, and Streaming TV is at the center of it all.

STV vs. CTV. vs. OTT

While these terms are often used interchangeably, there are important distinctions. Streaming TV (STV) refers to any television content delivered via the internet, whether live or on demand. Connected TV (CTV) describes the actual devices like smart TVs, Roku, or gaming consoles, that stream this content. Over-the-top (OTT) is a broader term for any content delivered “over the top” of traditional cable, including both TV shows and movies watched on any internet-connected device.  

In practice, STV and CTV usually mean ad-supported streaming on large screens in the living room, while OTT can include mobile and desktop viewing. Understanding these differences is key for targeting and measuring campaigns effectively. The real story is how these platforms move consumers through the funnel - connecting entertainment to inspiration, and inspiration to purchase - on the largest screen in the home.

Why are retailers racing towards STV innovation?

The answer starts with consumer behavior. By 2026, US viewers are projected to spend more than 3.5 hours per day streaming - a 31% jump from just a few years ago. As linear TV continues its steady decline, ad dollars are quickly chasing attention to where it’s most engaged. Connected and Streaming TV investments are set to surpass linear by 2028, and retailers want in.

Retailers are verticalizing ROI, building end-to-end ecosystems that connect every stage of the consumer journey - from initial awareness to purchase and loyalty - enabling brands to track, measure, and optimize performance across the funnel.  

The value of large-scale audiences cannot be overstated: platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix together reach over 200 million monthly viewers, translating to unmatched opportunities for brands to engage consumers at scale and with precision.

Beyond audience scale, Streaming TV offers something linear never could:

• Shoppability: Ads are now actionable, turning viewers into buyers in a single click or scan.

• Measurability: Advanced clean room and closed-loop solutions tie every impression to real-world outcomes, from online purchases to in-store foot traffic.

• Addressability: Advertisers can target and retarget unique, logged-in audiences across premium content, connecting what viewers see to what they ultimately buy.

That’s why retailers are forging deep partnerships with publishers and device makers - unlocking premium inventory, sharper targeting, and new attribution models.  

Walmart’s Vizio acquisition brings viewing and shopping data together, paving the way for true closed-loop attribution. Amazon’s partnerships with Netflix, Disney, and Roku mean brands can reach authenticated audiences at scale, with unified measurement and frequency capping that optimizes every dollar thanks to AMC.

What’s in It for brands?

For brands, Streaming TV is a performance channel - one where every campaign can drive both discovery and sales. Here’s how brands are winning:

• Full-funnel measurement: Platforms like Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) allow brands to tie ad exposures to purchases with unprecedented precision - identifying high-value cohorts, measuring incrementality, and optimizing audiences for long-term growth.

• Maximized reach & efficiency: Strategic partnerships (like Amazon x Roku or NBCUniversal x Walmart) give brands access to massive, premium audiences while minimizing wasteful repeat exposures and maximizing unique reach.

• Closed-loop attribution: Retailer data and clean rooms connect STV ad exposure to both online and offline transactions, finally proving the true ROI of upper-funnel investments.

A recent campaign for a consumables brand highlights what’s possible when brands invest in STV and measure with Amazon Marketing Cloud. By using AMC to measure the value of multi-touch engagement, we saw that shoppers who viewed sponsored products, DSP, and Streaming TV ads had a purchase rate nearly 300 times higher than those exposed to just sponsored products. Our AMC insights didn’t just help measure results, they informed a refined AMC audiences strategy, powering even greater efficiency and growth moving forward.

Image caption: Want to see this for your brand? Let’s connect.

How to win: Evaluate your funnel with clarity, and rethink your approach to STV

The old silos between brand and performance marketing are dissolving. Today, every impression is addressable, actionable, and accountable - so your STV strategy must be, too. Leading brands and retailers are:

• Integrating upper- and lower-funnel planning for holistic growth, focusing on maximizing ROI across every retailer

• Embracing real consumer behavior and identity data through AMC

• Measuring return on consumer, not just ROAS - tracking impact on sales, loyalty, and long-term value

Winning with STV is also about embracing a new mindset: understanding not just what works, but where and why it works in your funnel and scaling that knowledge. Brands that are pulling ahead are gathering insights on how consumers progress through their unique funnel - where they drop off, which campaigns drive them forward, and where investment are delivering the most impact. Knowing who is likely to convert, where to allocate spend for maximum return, and when to pull back on audiences (built on behavioral insights) who aren’t moving through the funnel enables smart, more efficient decision making. With the right approach, every campaign becomes an opportunity to guide consumers further and strengthen your brand’s impact.

This approach is at the core of our philosophy – stay tuned for cross-funnel measurement solutions coming soon that help you pinpoint which consumers are worth bringing into your funnel, and which tactics help them pass through each stage and optimize every investment to accelerate brand growth.  

Ready to unlock your STV opportunity?

With Flywheel, you gain a partner that understands every step of the consumer journey and delivers measurable results from couch to cart (and in partnership with Omnicom, publisher deals and rates that present cost savings to our clients). Let’s unlock your next stage of growth, together.

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