In this week’s Week in Charts, ITV’s Chris Kennedy on premium targeting, drama underpins UK SVOD growth, and brands underinvest in TV.
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Drama “Underpins Overall Growth” in UK SVOD Viewing Finds Ofcom
UK viewers’ time spent watching drama content on SVOD/AVOD services rose by 11 hours YoY per person in 2025, according to Ofcom analysis of Barb data. Meanwhile viewing time for kids and film content was flat, and entertainment viewing declined. “In contrast to the decline seen in entertainment, drama continued to underpin overall growth in SVOD viewing, reflecting its importance in attracting and retaining audiences across age groups,” Ofcom said in the report.
South Korean Content Second Only to US Content in Global Netflix Viewing
South Korean content generated 12.1 billion hours of viewing on Netflix worldwide between April 2025 and March 2026, according to Omdia and Digital i, placing it second only to US content. “What began with a small number of breakout global hits such as Squid Game has evolved into a sustainable content ecosystem capable of delivering international success across multiple genres,” said Maria Rua Aguete, Head of Media & Entertainment at Omdia. “That consistency is helping Korea strengthen its position in the global streaming market.”
Brands Are Underinvested in TV Finds WPP Media and Thinkbox
Brands are leaving around £32 billion in profit on the table under average media plans, according to research from WPP Media and Thinkbox. By modelling a media plan optimised for the highest returns in the first year, the study recommends TV is given 64.6 percent share of total spend (compared with the average 44 percent), with paid social at 4 percent (compared with 13 percent currently). “Short-term optimised isn’t necessarily long-term compromised,” said Dominic Charles, Head of Applied Analytics at WPP Media UK. “Short-termism isn’t the problem. Badly executed short-termism – one that conflates the need to show a return to the business quickly with a narrow set of “performance” channels – is the problem.”
One-Third of Marketers Say Reporting Takes Too Long to Produce Data-Based Insights
Despite the potential of new AI tools to unlock data-based insights, less than half of marketers say these insights often directly lead to campaign changes or optimisations, according to a new survey from Adverity. When asked about the biggest bottlenecks preventing data from leading to campaign changes, 33 percent of marketers said reporting takes too long to produce insights, while 21 percent said data is spread across too many platforms.
The Week in Stocks
Agencies
Stagwell’s share price soared after the agency network posted its strongest ever second quarter.
TV
Shares in Canal+ jumped after the French broadcaster announced a landmark agreement to invest €980 million in French and European cinema starting in 2028.
Publishers
Ströer’s stock price popped on reports that the German advertising business has finally reached a sale agreement with I Squared Capital and Infravia Capital Partners.
Ad Tech
DoubleVerify stock is on the rise ahead of the ad tech firm’s Q2 results on Thursday.
Tech
Microsoft recorded the highest single-day market-value increase in stock market history on Thursday, adding nearly $450 billion to its value, following its latest earnings update.
