A LinkedIn discussion about interactive streaming recently caught my attention. It raised an interesting question: how far can entertainment, advertising and commerce come together before the experience starts asking too much of the viewer?
As a marketer, I see plenty of opportunity. More relevant advertising, more creative formats and easier ways to explore or buy something can all add value. As a viewer, I appreciate the same things, provided they fit naturally into what I’m watching.
My perspective is optimistic. Advertising and e-commerce have room to evolve within streaming, especially when they make discovery more useful and acting on an interest easier.
The challenge is to make that evolution worth the viewer’s attention.
The commercial opportunity is growing
The investment behind digital video gives a sense of the direction of travel.
In its 2026 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy announcement, IAB projected that U.S. digital video advertising spending would exceed $80 billion in 2026, growing 11% year on year and accounting for more than 60% of total TV and video advertising spend. That forecast includes connected TV, online video and social video.
These figures show where advertising budgets are moving. The next question is how that investment translates into experiences people welcome.
More relevant targeting is one part of the answer. Creative quality, timing, convenience and viewer control deserve just as much attention.
From possibility to practical experiences
Major streaming companies are already exploring different ways to connect viewing with shopping.
Prime Video’s interactive pause ads allow viewers to use their remote to request information or add a product to their Amazon cart while their content is paused. The interaction gives someone a direct way to act on an advertisement during a break they have already chosen to take.
Disney has also announced Shop the Stream, connecting streaming advertisements with curated storefronts featuring products seen in, or inspired by, programmes, films and sports. In the same announcement, Disney outlined a virtual concession stand experience, allowing viewers to follow an advertisement to order snacks and drinks for delivery.
These examples approach convenience in different ways: making an advertised product easier to save, turning inspiration into discovery or connecting a viewing occasion with something useful in that moment.
Their long-term value will depend on how naturally they fit into people’s behaviour and whether viewers choose to use them again.
Convenience gives commerce a reason to belong
The most compelling opportunities start with something the viewer already wants to do.
Imagine watching a cooking programme and saving the ingredients. Discovering a destination and sending the details to your phone. Seeing a product in an advertisement and being able to explore it without remembering the name or searching for it later.
These are small improvements, but they solve recognizable problems. They shorten the journey between interest and action.
That convenience has to continue beyond the first click. Repeated sign-ins, confusing pages or an awkward checkout can quickly undo the benefit of an appealing format.
A well-designed experience considers the whole journey, including how easily someone can return to watching.
“Save for later” deserves more attention
There is a tendency to treat an immediate purchase as the most valuable response to advertising. Yet interest often develops at a different pace.
Someone might want to compare options, discuss a purchase with another person or simply finish the programme before thinking about it. Personally, I can see real appeal in being able to save something without being pushed to make a decision there and then.
That makes “save for later,” “send to phone” and “remind me” meaningful parts of a commerce experience. They support the viewer’s intention while respecting the moment they are in.
A useful advertising experience should make the next step available at the right level of commitment.
Participation depends on the moment
The same principle applies to interactivity more broadly.
Voting during a live show, exploring statistics during a match and joining a conversation after a film all offer different reasons to participate. Their value depends on the content and the situation.
I might enjoy interacting during a live event and prefer to be completely absorbed in a drama the following evening. The same person can have very different expectations across those experiences.
Good design accommodates that flexibility. Features should be easy to discover and simple to use, while keeping the viewing experience satisfying for anyone who chooses to carry on watching.
The freedom to participate includes the freedom to decline.
Relevance requires judgment
Personalisation can make advertising and discovery more useful, but the interpretation of a signal matters.
A product view might reflect curiosity, gift research or someone else’s interest on a shared television. A single interaction offers context; it rarely tells the whole story.
More thoughtful personalisation leaves room for those possibilities. It also gives viewers understandable choices about their preferences and how their information is used.
There is a clear marketing opportunity here: relevance that helps people discover something worthwhile can build confidence in the experience. Repetition and overinterpretation can wear that confidence down.
Commercial performance and viewer experience belong together
Clicks, purchases and advertising performance are essential measures. They establish whether a format creates commercial value.
A fuller assessment also asks what happened to the viewing experience.
Did the feature make something easier? Was the journey straightforward? Did people continue watching? Would they choose to use it again?
A format that generates transactions while frustrating the wider audience presents a different result from one that viewers find useful and return to willingly. Those outcomes need to be considered together. Sustainable monetisation depends on maintaining an experience people choose to spend time with.
Turning relevance into a better experience
As Head of Marketing at 24i, I see advanced advertising as an opportunity to connect commercial performance more closely with the quality of the viewing experience.
That starts with understanding the context: what someone is watching, what might be relevant and how an advertisement fits into that moment. It also means delivering the ad smoothly and measuring what happens beyond the initial response.
24i’s Advanced Advertising brings together ad delivery, audience and content context, consent management and campaign attribution. These capabilities provide a foundation for more relevant advertising and a clearer understanding of its performance.
The creative opportunity builds from there. A relevant message can help someone discover something worthwhile. A well-timed interaction can make exploring it easier. A simple next step can turn interest into action without making the viewing experience feel like work.
That is what excites me about advertising and commerce becoming more connected with streaming: the possibility of making them more useful, more enjoyable and easier to engage with.
Every new commercial opportunity should have a clear viewer benefit behind it.
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