Streaming TV Viewers Search Local Brands After Ads
Advertisers running connected TV campaigns should plan for viewers who bookmark or search on a second device hours or days later.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Advertising
Live Poll
After a TV ad, do you search online for businesses you've never heard of?
Adwave, a CTV advertising company, commissioned a national survey of 500 US consumers finding that many viewers use a second device while watching streaming TV and bookmark content to revisit later. Operators running local or smaller-brand campaigns should note that respondents searched for smaller or local businesses slightly more often than national brands after seeing a CTV ad.
Why it matters
Second-screen behavior means streaming TV ads are increasingly followed by a search or saved link rather than an immediate purchase, shifting how advertising effects are tracked. The finding that unfamiliarity prompts searches gives smaller advertisers a reason to keep brand-introduction messaging in CTV spots.
The survey of 500 US consumers, split evenly across four generations, found 80% use a phone, tablet, or laptop while watching streaming TV at least sometimes, and 71.5% have saved something to revisit later. Searches after a CTV ad skewed slightly toward smaller or local businesses (39.5%) over national brands (30.75%), though the survey does not report conversion rates.
The players
Adwave
A connected TV advertising company that commissioned the survey and sells CTV ad placements to marketers.
The details
Respondents reported opening a browser tab or saving content on their phone while watching connected TV so they could return to it later. The most-cited reason for searching a brand after an ad was that the respondent had not heard of it before and wanted to learn more, cited by 42.5%. Nearly two-thirds of Gen Z and Millennial viewers use a second screen always or most of the time, which means the ad exposure and the follow-up action often happen on different devices.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: Adwave publishes the survey findings on mobile bookmarking during streaming TV viewing.
Market Landscape
Connected TV advertising has grown as streaming replaces traditional broadcast for many households, and this survey places that growth alongside documented second-screen habits among younger viewers. Advertisers have long measured television through reach and impression counts, while this data points to a follow-up search or bookmark step that those metrics do not capture.
Advertisers running CTV campaigns should plan for a delayed response, since viewers may bookmark or search days later on another device. Small and local businesses should review whether their CTV creative introduces the brand clearly, because unfamiliarity was the most-cited reason for searching.
The takeaway
Track brand search and saved-link activity alongside CTV impression data when evaluating campaign performance. Consider whether your ad creative names your business and location clearly enough for a viewer to find you later.
Further reading
For more on how audiences respond to paid media, see the Advertising section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Advanced-television.
Live Poll
After a TV ad, do you search online for businesses you've never heard of?
