Ad-funded streaming platforms (including video services) generated $4.6 billion in 2021, according to IFPI numbers. That was up 31% year-on-year (versus $3.5bn in 2020), representing an annual increase of $1.1 billion. Not bad for a section of the market many still refer to as ‘free’ streaming, which includes the freemium tier of Spotify, plus YouTube‘s video ads business.
