Author: Jason Jones, Head of U.S. Local Sales, Premion 

Buying a car has become a much longer and more considered journey. Today’s consumers are spending more time researching online, comparing brands and dealerships, and weighing decisions carefully amid affordability concerns and elevated vehicle prices. In fact, 7 in 10 shoppers remain undecided about which vehicle to purchase, while consumers now spend more than seven hours researching and shopping online before making a decision.*

Just as the buying journey has evolved, so has media consumption. With 89% of U.S. households projected to be CTV households this year, according to eMarketer,** streaming has fundamentally reshaped how automotive audiences consume media — creating new opportunities for dealerships and automotive marketers to influence buyers earlier and stay connected throughout the journey.

More automotive ad dollars are following that shift. According to BIA’s U.S. Local Advertising Forecast 2026, automotive ad spending in local CTV/OTT is expected to reach $488 million this year and grow another 12% to more than $544 million by 2029.***

Today’s Auto Buyers Are Watching Across Screens

Consumers continue to split their viewing time between streaming and linear television, creating dual opportunities for automotive marketers to influence purchase decisions.

As streaming continues reshaping TV viewing habits, automotive marketers are increasingly focused on how to reach consumers across the full TV ecosystem — not just one platform or viewing environment. That’s making Total TV strategies more important than ever.

According to the MRI-Simmons 2026 March Cord Evolution Study, 91% of auto intenders are reachable through a combined traditional and streaming Total TV strategy, while adding streaming to a broadcast buy delivers 92% unduplicated audience reach.**** Traditional TV and streaming also continue to directly influence consumer behavior, with 75% of auto intenders saying they conducted further online research after viewing an ad on linear TV or streaming.*****  

That matters because today’s automotive purchase journey rarely happens in a single moment. Buyers move between awareness, research, comparison, and dealership consideration over an extended period of time. And with consumers now spending a combined 6.25 hours per day watching television content across broadcast and streaming, automotive marketers have more opportunities to stay visible throughout the purchase journey.******

Why Total TV Matters for Automotive Advertising

Streaming gives automotive marketers the ability to reach in-market shoppers with greater precision, advanced attribution, and the flexibility to reconnect with audiences throughout the purchase journey. At the same time, linear television continues to deliver scale, credibility, and strong local market reach — particularly around news, sports, and premium programming.

Together, a Total TV strategy allows automotive marketers to extend reach, improve frequency management across screens, and better connect media exposure to measurable business outcomes.

As competition intensifies and audiences fragment across platforms, integrating streaming and linear helps auto dealerships maximize both awareness and measurable performance.

Tier 3 Auto Dealership: Reclaiming Market Share with CTV Precision

One Tier 3 foreign auto dealership in a competitive suburban market was losing ground to a local rival and needed to quickly regain momentum. To drive results, a Total TV campaign seamlessly integrated streaming with the dealership’s existing broadcast spend.

By leveraging both Polk and Website Attribution, Premion drove 83 new car sales and a 49% purchase lift among households exposed to the campaign within 60 days of ad exposure. The Total TV campaign also delivered 12.6K website visits at a $12 cost per visit within seven days of exposure. By integrating streaming with existing broadcast investments and leveraging Premion’s trusted partnership with the dealership’s GM, the campaign helped the dealership rebound with confidence.

As consumer attention continues shifting across screens, the most effective automotive strategies are no longer built around a single channel. By combining the precision and accountability of CTV with the scale and credibility of linear, Total TV is helping dealerships reach in-market buyers more effectively and drive measurable car sales.

Download our 2026 Automotive Marketing Total TV Playbook for more insights, audience trends, and strategies for reaching today’s connected car buyers.

* Source: Automotive News 2026 Dealer Outlook Survey; Cox Automotive 2026 Ownership Study; Cox Automotive 2025 Key Drivers of Car Shopper Satisfaction; Cox Automotive 2025 Car Buyer Journey; S&P Global Automotive Insights (2025)

** Source: EMARKETER, “Connected TV (CTV) Households, US, 2026,” February 2026. Households with at least one connected TV set where at least one person uses the internet through a connected TV at least once per month. Copyright © 2026 EMARKETER Inc.

*** Source: BIA Advisory Services, March 2026

**** Source: MRI-Simmons 2026 March Cord Evolution Study

***** Source: Innovid, Jan–Dec 2024

****** Source: GfK/NIQ TVB 2026 Media Comparisons Study – A18+ Plan to Buy/Lease Auto in Next Year

###