FreeWheel Study: Viewers Accept Ads, Experience Falls Short

By SOS. News Desk | Mar 07, 2026

FreeWheel's Voice of the Viewer study, conducted by Dynata, confirms that streaming is now the primary TV format for most European viewers with 83% reporting satisfaction with the experience. The study also found nearly half of the 4,000 respondents exclusively watch ad-supported tiers, and roughly the same number deliberately chose a plan with ads when they signed up.

Bad Timing

Ad-Supported Video on Demand (AVOD) viewers are 10% more likely to find ads intrusive compared to traditional TV audiences. Thirty-nine percent of those who feel disrupted say ads appear at the wrong moment, interrupting dialogue or breaking narrative flow. This isn't an audience rejection of advertising as much as it is a disconnect in the product itself.

Frequency Control

More than half of streaming viewers report seeing the same ads repeatedly in a single session. These platforms sit on deterministic viewer data and authenticated environments, yet frequency capping still isn't solved. It's not a new concept, so the fact that it isn't solved tells you where investment has gone - content licensing and subscriber growth.

Contextual Relevance

Seventy-two percent of viewers say ad relevance hasn't improved or has actually gotten worse over the past five years. That covers an entire generation of ad tech evolution, billions in programmatic infrastructure, and the rise of machine learning-driven audience segmentation. The viewer's experience of receiving a relevant ad has flatlined through all of it.

AI and TV

There is one opening worth noting. More than half of viewers say they're open to AI playing a role in which ads they see.

YouTube is testing a conversational AI tool on smart TVs, gaming consoles, and streaming devices, letting viewers ask questions about content without leaving playback.

Amazon is pushing Alexa+ onto Fire TV devices with expanded content interaction capabilities.

Roku's voice assistant now fields questions about content directly.

Netflix is experimenting with AI-powered search tools.

So what?

Over 40% of viewers say content access is better than five years ago. They're watching more, paying for more services, tolerating more ads. That tolerance is a credit line and the industry is spending it faster than it's earning it back. The platforms that invest in ad experience will keep it open. The ones that don't will watch satisfied viewers quietly upgrade to ad-free tiers, and the CPM math will stop working for everyone.

Download the Voice of the Viewer report here.

By The Numbers

83% of viewers say they're satisfied with the streaming experience

73% cite content availability as top satisfaction driver

63% cite value for money

Nearly half exclusively watch ad-supported services

Nearly half deliberately chose an ad-supported plan

AVOD viewers 10% more likely to find ads intrusive vs. linear TV

39% of those who find ads disruptive blame timing

50%+ see the same ads repeatedly in a single session

72% say ad relevance hasn't improved or has worsened in five years

50%+ open to AI playing a role in ad selection

40%+ say content access is better than five years ago

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Key Takeaways

Nearly half of streaming viewers deliberately chose ad-supported plans, but AVOD audiences are 10% more likely to find ads intrusive than linear TV viewers due to poor timing and frequency failures.

72% of viewers say ad relevance has flatlined or worsened over five years, despite massive investment in programmatic infrastructure and audience segmentation.

More than half of viewers are open to AI-driven ad selection, yet major platforms are investing their AI capabilities in content discovery rather than ad experience.