Streaming vs. Cinema Advertising: The New Cinema Is at Home

The big cinema experience was long tied to one place: the dark auditorium, the huge screen, the evening out. That experience has long since moved. Blockbusters land in streaming faster and faster, people go to the cinema less, and the movie night now happens above all in the living room. For advertising, this shifts an important question: cinema or connected TV?

Blockbusters hit streaming faster and faster

A film used to stay exclusively in cinemas for around 90 days before it was available at home. That window has shrunk dramatically. According to industry analyses from the US, in 2024 the major studios averaged only around 30 to 45 days, sometimes clearly less. NBCUniversal, for example, cut the window from 64 days in 2022 to around 20 days in 2024.

For viewers that means: whoever misses the cinema release often only has to wait a few weeks until the film runs at home on the big TV. Streaming is thus no longer the second choice after the cinema, but for many the first.

People go to the cinema less

At the same time, the number of cinema visits is falling. In Germany, around 90 million cinema tickets were sold per year recently, clearly fewer than before the pandemic. In 2020 and 2021, ticket sales had even collapsed by almost two thirds compared to 2019, and the old level has not been reached again to this day. This is shown by the figures of the German Federal Film Board (FFA).

On top of that, the cinema audience is getting older. The average age of visitors was 39.7 years in 2024, and almost all age groups bought fewer tickets than the year before. So you reach younger audiences in the cinema less and less.

The new cinema is at home

Together, this paints a clear picture: the big movie experience increasingly happens at home, on your own TV. The big screen in the living room has become the new silver screen. People lean back, watch with focus and engage with the picture, much like in the cinema hall. Why this relaxed posture is so valuable is shown in the article on the lean-back effect, and how high attention is on the big screen, the article on attention on the big screen.

Why you target better on CTV than in the cinema

Cinema advertising has its strengths. The big screen, the dark hall and an audience that can't switch away create attention. But for advertisers it has two drawbacks: it reaches a shrinking, aging audience, and it can hardly be steered. You book a film or a cinema and reach whoever happens to be in the hall.

On connected TV you get the same impact of the big screen, but with the precision of online marketing. Your advertising runs in the living room, where the new cinema takes place, and you steer it precisely: by region and postal code, age, gender and interests. Instead of broadcasting broadly to everyone in the hall, you reach exactly the people who are relevant to you. How regional targeting in streaming works is shown in the article on regional targeting.

Where onescreen comes in

This is exactly where onescreen comes in. You bring your brand to the big screen in the living room, on around 40 streaming services and the major channels, with the attention of the cinema and the targeting of online marketing. You start with a manageable budget, without a minimum term, and see in the daily dashboard how your campaign is doing. What connected TV as a channel is about is explained in the overview What is CTV advertising.

Conclusion

The cinema is losing visitors, the release windows are shrinking, and the big movie experience is moving into the living room. For advertising that means: the big screen remains valuable, but today it stands at home. On connected TV you combine its impact with a targeting the cinema can't offer, and you reach your audience where it watches today.

Want to use the big screen for your advertising, where it stands today? Book a demo and we'll show you the options in 30 minutes. Or get started in the Ad Manager.

FAQ

Do blockbusters really reach streaming faster? Yes. The formerly around 90-day exclusive cinema window has shrunk sharply. According to industry analyses from the US, in 2024 the major studios averaged about 30 to 45 days, sometimes less. So many films run at home just a few weeks after the cinema release.

Is cinema advertising still worth it? Cinema advertising still has strengths, such as the big screen and an attentive audience. But it reaches a shrinking, aging audience and can hardly be steered precisely. For many goals, connected TV is the more flexible alternative.

What can CTV do that cinema advertising can't? Above all, targeted digital targeting. On connected TV you steer your advertising by region and postal code, age, gender and interests, instead of broadcasting broadly to everyone in the cinema hall, and you reach people on the big screen at home.

Do I also reach younger audiences via CTV? Yes. While the cinema audience is getting older, younger audiences are heavily present in streaming. Via the big screen in the living room you reach them where they watch today.