The clearest new public figure for a streaming CPM is a national upfront average, not a small-business quote. On August 11, 2026, Media Dynamics estimated the 2026-27 primetime upfront average streaming CPM for adults at $25.90, down 4.9% from the prior season. The same release puts broadcast at $41.65 per thousand adults for a 30-second announcement (down 4.2%) and cable at $17.70 (down 8.5%).

The 2026-27 upfront CPMs

These are Media Dynamics estimates for the 2026-27 primetime upfront, published August 11, 2026. They are not Adwave prices, and they are not a rate card for one streaming app.

2026-27 primetime upfront CPMs (adults)
Buy CPM Change vs prior season What it measures
Streaming $25.90 Down 4.9% Average streaming CPM for adults, primetime upfront
Broadcast TV networks $41.65 Down 4.2% Cost per thousand adults for a 30-second announcement
Cable $17.70 Down 8.5% Average cable CPM, primetime upfront

Source: Media Dynamics, Inc., press release, August 11, 2026, The 2026-27 Primetime Upfront.

The same release estimates primetime upfront ad investment at $33.8 billion (up 9.1%), with $17.2 billion in streaming and $16.6 billion in linear. Streaming spending was up nearly 30%. Broadcast dollars were down 5.3%. Cable dollars were down 7.7%. Primetime CPMs, counting linear and streaming together, were down 6.2%. The release also says streaming accounts for 25% of available primetime ad GRPs and received more than half of the 2026-27 upfront's primetime ad dollars.

MediaPost's August 11, 2026 report of the same estimates gives the prior-season levels as $27.75 streaming, $43.50 broadcast, and $19.35 cable, and rounds the declines to 5%, 4%, and 8.5%. The press release states 4.9%, 4.2%, and 8.5%. This page uses the press release for the 2026-27 CPMs and the percent changes. MediaPost's dollar total for the upfront ($33.7 billion) also differs from the press release ($33.8 billion). The press release is the figure used above.

What this average measures

Read $25.90 as one specific average:

  • Whose number: Media Dynamics, from its upfront estimates. Sellers do not publish one public rate card that matches this average.

  • Which buy: the 2026-27 primetime upfront, the summer market where large advertisers buy a large share of the coming season.

  • Which audience: adults. The broadcast line is explicitly a 30-second announcement. The streaming line is the average streaming CPM for adults.

  • What it is not: a YouTube-only CPM, a YouTube TV subscription price, a local scatter quote, or the price Adwave charges.

Your price still moves with targeting, geography, season, length, and how you buy. The release says some sellers held prices and a few raised them.

An earlier forecast, labeled as a forecast

On December 9, 2025, EMARKETER's Digital Video and Forecast Trends Q4 2025 (Ross Benes) said streaming-service CPMs will average around $26 to $27 over the next few quarters, per our estimates. That sentence is a forecast of streaming-service CPMs. It is not a count of money already spent, and it is not the August 2026 upfront transaction estimate. The later upfront figure ($25.90) sits near that range. Treat them as two sources, not one blended number.

Platform rows live on another page

This upfront average does not replace a platform-by-platform table. Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV, and the other rows are on TV advertising CPM by platform, which still uses the November 4, 2024 Ad Age agency averages because no newer public table of that kind had replaced them as of that page's September 22, 2026 check.

Older guides still describe wider bands. AI Digital has described connected TV CPMs as often $25 to $65. Keynes Digital put a median CTV CPM between $20 and $35. Paramount Ads Manager says its own campaigns can start at $7 CPM, which is a vendor floor, not the upfront average. Simulmedia's TV advertising cost guide publishes platform ranges (for example Netflix programmatic and direct, Hulu, and free ad-supported services) that are not the same thing as the $25.90 upfront average. Use those pages for the range they actually publish, and keep the date on them.

What a CPM does to a budget

CPM means the price of 1,000 impressions. Impressions equal budget divided by CPM, times 1,000. At the $25.90 upfront average, a $500 budget is 500 ÷ 25.90 × 1,000, about 19,300 impressions. That is arithmetic on the published average. It is not a delivery guarantee, and a local buy will not automatically clear at $25.90.

On Adwave, a TV campaign starts at $30 a day, and daily budgets run from $30 to $10,000. You can review ads before you add a card. There is no subscription and no contract. Those points are copied from the pricing page. This article does not state an Adwave CPM, because the pricing page does not publish one.

Questions

What is the average CTV CPM?

For the 2026-27 primetime upfront, Media Dynamics estimates the average streaming CPM for adults at $25.90, down 4.9% from the prior season (press release, August 11, 2026). A small-business buy can land above or below that average.

Is $25.90 what a small business pays?

No. $25.90 is a national primetime upfront average for adults. A local campaign price depends on the inventory, the audience, and the seller.

How does streaming compare with broadcast and cable in that upfront?

In the same Media Dynamics release, broadcast is $41.65 per thousand adults for a 30-second announcement (down 4.2%) and cable is $17.70 (down 8.5%).

Where are Netflix and Hulu?

Platform averages from the Ad Age agency set are on the CPM by platform page. They are 2024 agency averages, not the 2026-27 upfront figure on this page.