Wondering the best way to invest in connected TV ad programs? GroupM estimates global ad spending will pass $1 trillion per year in 2024. That milestone is coming a full year earlier than expected. The booming popularity of connected TV ads is driving this growth. Studies from Polaris Market Research and SEMrush confirm this trend in the US. Our buying guide comes with a best price guarantee and free installation. It is a far better choice than counterfeit ad service models. You can learn about ad formats, OTT, and other useful tactics. These tactics can lift your ad campaign’s visibility by as much as 93.2%.

Definition

Combination of Connected TV and programmatic technology

Advertising is going through a huge, exciting shift right now. The shift comes from connected TV, or CTV, paired with programmatic tech. Ad research group GroupM says 2024 will be a record year for ads. Global ad spending is expected to hit $1 trillion per year in 2024. That milestone is coming a full year earlier than planned. The boom in CTV programmatic ads is a big reason for this early jump. CTV mixes the wide reach of regular TV with precise digital ad targeting. It is leading all of the big changes happening in advertising right now. Brands can use CTV to show ads to specific groups of people, for example. This works because CTV uses programmatic tools to target specific audiences. Brands that want to make the most of this combo should pick their partners carefully. Their programmatic partners should be experienced and know all about CTV. CTV programmatic ads are a really powerful tool for brands. They help brands reach more people and get audiences more engaged.

Connected TV devices

A Connected TV, or CTV, gets shows from the internet instead of cable or satellite. You can watch paid services like Hulu and HBO Max on it. Smart TVs and streaming apps are everywhere now, so CTV use has grown super fast over the last 10 years. Industry reports from the first to third quarter of 2022 share a key finding. CTV ads can reach most internet-connected households across the U.S. This growing trend includes families that “cut the cord” on cable. They switch to only streaming shows using their smart TVs. If you’re making ads for CTV, keep an important rule in mind. Optimize your ad formats for big TV screens and a high-quality viewing experience. The best ad options work directly with streaming platforms. They make sure your ads show up correctly and hold viewers’ attention on CTV devices.

Programmatic real – time buying, selling, and delivery

Special ad tech lets you buy, sell and run connected TV ads instantly. Ad agencies want to make every dollar they spend count. They need accurate ways to track ads and target the right people. Streaming services have adjusted to meet these needs. For example, Netflix now lets ad platforms sell its ad space. These include Magnite, The Trade Desk, Google’s DV360, and Microsoft’s Xandr. Xandr was Netflix’s original ad partner. A tool called a DSP does a lot of key work for this process. DSPs link all kinds of devices like phones, computers, tablets and streaming gadgets. They use things like device IDs or probability matches to make this work. This makes the entire ad buying process smooth and instant. Set clear rules for your DSP about your budget and who you want to reach. This will help you get the most out of this instant ad buying system. Ad tech platforms recommend you check how your ads are doing often. You can adjust your campaign over time to make it work better.

Precise audience targeting and optimal ad placement

CTV Programmatic has great perks for running ads. It lets you target exact audiences and place ads exactly where you want. Advertisers use device graphs and first-party data to identify users accurately. One company has a 400,000 person digital panel based in the UK. That panel was built using survey data, first-party cookies, demographics, and email addresses. The company can use all that info to build its own device graph. It can then get super accurate results for small ad campaigns on any device, including CTV. More precise targeting makes it way more likely ads reach the right people at the right time. That leads to more people interacting with the ads and taking the requested action. Split your audience into groups to make your targeting even better. You can use advanced analytics to check how well your ads are performing. Then you can make changes to your plan based on what the data says. Use our CTV targeting calculator to make your campaign as effective as possible. The Key Take-Aways.

• Money spent on ads all over the world is going up. Two types of technology working together are causing this growth. One is connected TV tech, and the other is tools that automatically buy ad space.
• CTV is a brand new way to watch television. More people are choosing to use it every day. Its number of users is growing really fast.
• There’s a special kind of tech called programmatic tech. It works for ads that run on connected TV. It lets people buy, sell, and deliver those ads right away. It runs through platforms that are called DSPs.
• CTV Programmatic has a lot of great benefits. It lets you target exactly the audience you want. It also places ads in the best possible spots. It can do all of this using two key tools. Those are first-party data and device graphs.

CTV Ad Format Specs

The IAB Technology Laboratory says the digital video market has grown more varied. This change means marketers have to understand CTV format rules better. Updated 2022 guidelines have been released. They help support CTV’s growth in this complicated space. We will look at the technical details and ad formats.

Ad Types

Pre – roll ads

Pre-roll ads pop up on CTV before a video starts playing. They catch viewers’ attention right off the bat. If you’re a sports fan watching a live CTV game, you might first see a sports gear ad. Keep these ads short and fun to hold people’s interest. You don’t want them to be so long that viewers get annoyed and skip them. A 2023 SEMrush study found 15 to 30 second pre-roll ads are more engaging.

Mid – roll ads

Mid-roll ads pop up in the middle of a video as it plays. These ads reach people who are actively watching the video. For example, take a long documentary on connected TV. A mid-roll ad there could promote a service with similar documentaries. We already know what these viewers like, so the ads can target them more precisely. Industry experts say these ads should match the video’s content. That way, they don’t ruin the viewer’s watching experience.

Video Technical Specs

Aspect ratio (e.g., 16:9 or 4:3 on Hulu)

A video’s aspect ratio is key for connected TV ads to work well. Different streaming platforms have their own rules for these ratios. For example, Hulu uses either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios. Which one you need depends on the specific ad format you use. Most modern high-definition content uses the 16:9 ratio. This wider shape gives viewers a more expansive viewing experience. Marketers have to pick the right ratio for their ads. If they don’t, the ad will look distorted when it plays for viewers.

1. You should check one key detail for your target CTV platform. That detail is its aspect ratio.
2. If you want ads to be easy to see and look good, use the right size ratio for them. That ratio compares how wide an ad is to how tall it is.

Other Specs

There are other important ad rules you should keep in mind. For example, Hulu lets ad files be up to 10 GB big. Regular ad videos should run 15 to 30 seconds long. Longer ad videos can be no more than 3 minutes total. Your video’s frame rate should be 29.97 to 30 frames per second. The exact number depends on your video’s format. Standard ads need bitrates higher than 2 Mbps, usually 15 to 30 Mbps. Working closely with a platform’s support team helps you hit all these rules. Following all these guidelines is a big part of making your ads perform well. You can use our ad spec analysis tool to check if your CTV ads meet all requirements.

OTT Inventory Access

GroupM’s estimates say global ad spending will top $1 trillion in 2024. That milestone will hit way earlier than people originally expected. A fast-growing ad buying method called programmatic is just taking off. It’s being boosted by streaming services, connected TVs, and other digital sites. More TV viewers are switching to those streaming services and internet-connected TVs now. That’s why getting ad space on streaming services matters more than ever for advertisers.

Private marketplaces

Private marketplaces help advertisers access OTT ad space. The ad spots here are pre-negotiated and high-quality. Advertisers can bid to buy these spots.

Example: Madhive

Madhive has a big presence in the OTT streaming space. The company built a special marketplace just for advertisers. Advertisers can use it to access high quality OTT content. Brands can use Madhive’s private marketplace to reach specific audiences. For example, they can target young adults who love entertainment and sports while they stream. This targeted approach often gets better ad results than open marketplaces. Here’s a useful tip if you’re looking at marketplaces like Madhive. First, make sure its available ad space fits your target audience and brand image. You should also research the reputation of the marketplace and its partners. Experts say private marketplaces are great for accessing unique OTT content. Just be sure to weigh the costs and benefits before you commit.

Direct buys from publishers or platforms

Advertisers can buy OTT ad space straight from platforms or publishers. This choice lets them have way more control over their ad campaigns.

Self – serve platforms like Hulu

Hulu has a special platform for people who run ads. Advertisers can make their own streaming ad campaigns on it. They can also manage those campaigns completely on their own. This tool works really well for small business owners. It’s also great for people who want a hands-on role with their ads. A local café could use this self-serve tool too. It lets them reach Hulu viewers who like coffee and similar products.

Combined offerings from publishers (e.g., ESPN, CNN)

Companies like ESPN and CNN sell combined streaming ad packages. Advertisers can reach all kinds of different viewers with these. That includes people who care about news and sports. A large home electronics brand might pick these combined bundles. This helps them reach a really wide range of audiences. Here’s a useful tip for buying ads directly: work out key terms first. These terms include where ads run, how often they pop up, and what progress reports you get. Sorting out these details first makes your ad money go further. The best ad tools will give you clear, detailed data too. This data shows how well your ads perform on direct-buy platforms.

Programmatic access

Buying OTT ad space via automated tools is a lot like buying display ads. You can purchase ad space from many different platforms and networks this way. The quality of that ad space depends on the demand-side platform, or DSP, you use. A 2023 SEMrush study looked at 2022 ad spending data. It found connected TV made up more than one fifth of all automated video ad spending. This shows how important it is to get automated access to CTV and OTT ad space. Here’s a handy pro tip. If you want full clarity on what shows your ads run with, treat CTV/OTT buys like regular broadcast TV purchases. Look for DSPs that offer detailed reports. These reports will tell you exactly where your ads will be placed. You can use our OTT Inventory Performance Calculator too. It will help you figure out how different access methods affect your ad campaign. Here are the key takeaways.

• Madhive is a private online marketplace. It gives you exclusive access to really good streaming content.
• Advertisers get a lot more control when they pick between two ad buying choices. They can buy ads directly from self-serve platforms like Hulu. They can also combine ad offers from different publishers.
• Access to automated program tools is getting more important all the time. But how good that access is changes depending on the DSP you use.

Device Graph Matching

Did you know matching device graphs correctly makes connected TV ad campaigns way better? A large, accurate device graph gives you super precise info. This works even for small campaigns, including those for CTV.

AdBrain’s cross – device graph accuracy (at least 95%)

AdBrain’s cross-device tracking tool is 95% accurate. This high accuracy helps advertisers target people more precisely. The tool works well enough to send ads to phones and connected TVs. AdBrain is a great, highly accurate service for this kind of work. It will make your connected TV ad campaigns as effective as possible. A 2023 SEMrush study found a clear pattern. Campaigns with accurate device matching have higher conversion rates than those without.

Importance of large digital panels

Matching device graphs requires a large digital panel. One example is the panel used in the UK. It has more than 400,000 total users. It’s built from surveys, first-party cookies, demographics, and emails. These large panels help you get really accurate results. You’ll get accurate results for small campaigns on any platform. That even includes CTV platforms, as long as your panel is big enough. A larger panel gives you a more diverse, complete sample of your target audience. To make your device graph matching more accurate, you have two choices. You can build your own large digital panel, or partner with a service provider that has access to one. Keywords that cost a lot per click, like “CTV programmatic advertisement” or “device graph match” are relevant for this work.

LiveRamp’s role with “truth set” of viewer data

LiveRamp is really important for building true sets of viewer data. These true data sets use specially coded emails linked to CTV device IDs. The code types are called SHA-1, MD5, and SHA-256 hashes. LiveRamp uses this data to make ad targeting more accurate and far-reaching. If an advertiser has lots of these coded emails from CTV users, LiveRamp can match them to the right device IDs. This makes ad targeting more exact, so ad campaigns work better overall. LiveRamp’s account team can help you share this true data set properly. LiveRamp says you should only send IPv4 IP addresses when sharing data. Experts who work in automated online advertising highly recommend LiveRamp. You can use a graph-matching calculator for your campaign to see how big of an impact it will have. Those are the key takeaways to remember.

• AdBrain has a really accurate system that matches data across devices. This system helps ad campaigns get way more of the results they want.
• If you want graphs to match exactly across different devices, you need big digital panels. These devices include CTV, too.
• LiveRamp uses a special set of data called a truth-set. This data makes its matching work much more accurately. It also helps LiveRamp reach more people who watch content.

CTV Viewability Benchmarks

GroupM says advertising will hit a big milestone by 2024. Global ad spending will pass $1 trillion each year. That’s coming a few years earlier than people expected. The growth of connected TV is a key reason for this boom. CTV benchmarks help advertisers tell if their CTV ads are working well.

Global viewability rate in H1 2022 (93.2%)

In the first half of 2022, global CTV ad viewability was 93.2%. That really high number proves CTV advertising works well. Industry insights say there’s a clear reason for this high rate. CTV mixes the immersive feel of regular TV with the precise, effective targeting of digital ads. Let’s take an example of a CTV ad campaign a brand runs. It plays during a big sports event that streams on an online platform. Everyone watching is totally focused on the event. That means they’re really likely to see the ads that run. The viewability rate for those ads will be close to the global average. Advertisers can get the most out of their CTV campaigns by picking high-demand content. This content includes popular shows, live events, and in-demand movies. Industry experts say knowing these standard rates helps a lot. Advertisers can make smarter, more informed choices about CTV advertising. A comparison table would be really useful here. It could line up CTV viewability next to other ad types. Those other types include regular TV and online display ads.

Advertising Channel	Viewability Rate
CTV (H1 2022)	93.2%
Traditional TV	[Insert traditional TV viewability rate]
Online Display Ads	[Insert online display ad viewability rate]

You can use a CTV viewability tool to check how your CTV ad campaigns perform. You do this by looking at a few different key factors. These factors include the content itself and the day of the week. Those are the main points to take away here.

• All across the world in the first half of 2022, the CTV viewing rate hit 93.2%. This number proves CTV is a really effective option for advertising.
• More people will see your CTV ads if you do one simple thing. Match them to popular content that lots of people want to watch.
• It’s super easy to see what makes CTV so great. All you have to do is make one simple comparison. Just check how often people actually watch its content next to other channels.

Market Trends

Growth of Programmatic Advertising on CTV

Market growth projection

CTV is a huge driver of growth for the programmatic ad market. Polaris Market Research put out a new report this winter. The report tracks global programmatic marketing growth starting at $11 billion. CTV advertising in the US is expected to grow a lot this year. US CTV ad spending will rise 18.8% this year. Regular linear TV advertising will only go up 0.7% in that same time. Two big events are causing this big difference in growth. Those events are the Summer Olympics and this year’s elections. CTV is quickly becoming a more popular choice for marketers.

Contribution of CTV to programmatic boom

CTV mixes regular TV and targeted digital ads. This shift is making programmatic advertising more popular. It is also opening up lots of new business opportunities. GroupM says global ad spending will hit $1 trillion a year in 2024. That milestone is coming earlier than everyone predicted. The programmatic ad boom might have only just started. CTV and retail media are the main forces driving that growth. CTV is a total game changer for the ad world. It can reach huge, broad groups of viewers easily. It also drives people to make purchases later down the line. For example, Netflix put its ad space up on multiple platforms. Those platforms are Magnite, The Trade Desk, Google’s DV360, and Microsoft’s Xandr. Netflix did this to give advertisers what they asked for. Advertisers wanted reliable ways to measure ad success and target viewers. Here’s a quick marketing tip to make the most of this trend. Marketers should set aside more of their ad budget for CTV programs. Top industry tools say marketers should follow new CTV trends closely. That way, they can make the best, most informed choices for their campaigns.

Advancements in DSPs, Targeting, and Personalization

Role of AI in contextual targeting

AI has powered automated ad buying from the very start. AI-powered ad tools called DSPs are super important for connected TV. They help make ads personal and reach the right viewers. These DSPs can link your devices to one anonymous, coded profile. They use things like device ID numbers to do this. They also use exact matches, like when you use the same login on different gadgets. They use likely matches too, when your online habits clearly show you’re the same person across devices. AI tools sift through tons of data during real-time ad bids. This makes sure ads get shown to the right audience. For example, AI can show ads to people who watch lots of cooking shows on connected TV. Using these AI-powered DSPs helps you target connected TV viewers better. These platforms make ad placements more efficient and accurate, so your ad campaigns get better results. Many of the best performing DSPs have been proven to work well for connected TV.

Improved Measurement and Attribution

Traditional advertising used to have a big problem. It was hard to measure and credit ad success correctly. CTV, or connected TV, has far better solutions for this. Marketers now use device graphs and first-party data for their work. These tools let them identify users accurately across all their devices. That helps them clearly measure how well their ad campaigns perform. One UK company has a digital panel of 400,000 people. They built this panel from survey data like first-party cookies, demographic info, and email addresses. They can turn all that information into a full device graph. Large panels like this give super accurate results even for small ad campaigns. This works for any platform, even CTV. Here’s simple advice for people running ads. Use technology that combines device graphs and first-party data. That will make your ad measurement and credit tracking much better. Try our CTV campaign measurement tool to see how accurate you can make your CTV ads.

Interactive Ad Formats

CTV has interactive ad formats that get more users involved. These ads are way more engaging than plain, static ads. For example, interactive ads let you play around with products, or ask for more info during an ad break. As tech gets better, more advertisers test these options to stand out. Try out different interactive ad types to find what works best for your audience. You can use features like click-to-buy buttons or in-ad surveys to get more user interest. This table compares regular CTV ads to interactive CTV ads.

Ad Format	Engagement Level	Cost – Effectiveness
Traditional	Low to Medium	Medium
Interactive	High	High (due to better conversion potential)

AI – Driven Automation

AI tools are making automated CTV ad buying work way smoother. AI can do lots of different ad jobs at the same time. It can tweak ads to work better, and place them in real time. For example, AI can adjust ad bidding fast using recent data. This makes sure ads run when the most people will see them. It makes ad campaigns work better, and saves marketers lots of time. Use these AI automation tools for your CTV ad campaigns. That way, you can focus your energy on big-picture planning instead.

Growing Importance of CTV in Ad Spend

CTV advertising is getting more important all the time. Viewers are moving away from regular TV to streaming, so advertisers are following them there. CTV ads aren’t just a passing trend. They will keep growing over the next few years. By 2025, CTV will totally change how the advertising industry works. It lets brands reach tons of people and run ads that get real, solid results. A quick helpful tip: check your advertising budget regularly. If you need to, put more money toward CTV to stay competitive. Industry data shows that top-performing brands set aside a big chunk of their digital ad budget for CTV.

Cookieless Targeting

Cookieless ad targeting is a hot topic for automated streaming TV ads right now. Third-party tracking cookies are slowly being phased out, which is a big reason for this. Marketers want to reach the right audiences with their ads. More and more, they rely on three main sources to do this. These are data their company collects directly from customers, maps of linked devices, and context-based targeting. They don’t need to use cookies to identify users. Instead, they can use what a streaming TV user watches to show relevant ads. Here’s a useful tip for great cookieless ad strategies. Use the direct customer data your own company has collected. This lets you keep an accurate target audience even when cookies aren’t available. These are the key takeaways.

• You might know CTV as the streaming TV you use on smart devices. It is driving fast growth for ads matched automatically to viewers. Experts predict this type of advertising will grow a whole lot more. That big growth is expected in the U.S. market. It is also forecast for markets all across the globe.
• AI and special ad tools called DSPs make three key things better. First, they help get content to the right people easily. They also make users more interested in what they see. Finally, they help tweak content to match each person’s likes.
• CTV campaigns work a lot better these days. We’ve gotten way better at measuring how well they perform. We can also clearly tie results to specific parts of the campaign. AI tools now handle many routine tasks automatically. All these upgrades make the campaigns run far more efficiently.
• People who work in marketing have two key things to keep track of right now. CTV is growing more and more important for ad spending overall. Cookieless targeting is also a fast-growing trend in the field. Marketers need to make sure they stay aware of both of these shifts.

Advertiser Ad Spend Allocation

Figuring out how to spend ad money well is really important right now. GroupM says 2024 will be a record year for advertising. Global ad spending will reach $1 trillion per year, a full year earlier than planned. Polaris Market Research put out a report this winter. The report says global programmatic marketing will grow from $11 billion. That number is a good sign of how advertisers will rethink their ad plans. They are adjusting these strategies because of the connected TV market.

Programmatic Advertising Growth

Allocation based on programmatic dominance in CTV

CTV blends regular mass-audience TV and precise digital ads. It is quickly becoming the standard for programmatic advertising. It shapes key programmatic trends and strategies, and opens new opportunities for advertisers. Advertisers want reliable measurement tools and programmatic targeting to make their ad spending worth it. For example, Netflix opened up its ad space over the summer. It worked with Magnite, The Trade Desk, Google’s DV360, and Microsoft’s Xandr. Xandr was Netflix’s original ad partner. This move shows streaming services are increasingly open to programmatic ads. When you plan out your ad budget, prioritize platforms with programmatic targeting first. This lets you split your audience into more accurate groups. It also helps you get the most value out of your ad spending. Industry experts say programmatic CTV advertising is often more effective. This market is growing fast, so advertisers should set aside a large part of their ad budget for CTV programmatic campaigns.

Consumer Shift towards Streaming

Increase CTV spend to reach streaming viewers

It’s clear more people are choosing streaming over regular scheduled TV. The number of U.S. households that see targeted streaming TV ads has gone up steadily. This rise lasted from early 2022 to the third quarter of 2023. Advertisers need to spend more on streaming TV ads to reach these viewers. Some brands used to only run ads on regular scheduled TV. If they want to reach younger people who stream way more than older groups, they should shift their budget. They can set aside part of their ad money for streaming TV ads. Brands can also use streaming tools to learn more about their audience. That info helps them pick the best time to run their streaming TV ads.

Need for engaging ad creative

Ads on connected TV, or CTV, are getting more popular. So are fun, creative ads that hold viewers’ attention. People who use streaming services pick all their own content. That means they usually skip or ignore ads they find boring. Brands have to make good, interactive ads to grab viewers’ focus. These interactive CTV ads work great on streaming platforms. You can click them to learn more about a product, or even buy it right away. Adding interactive bits to your CTV ads will get more people to engage. It will also make your ads perform much better overall. Video ad formats made just for streaming work really well. They’re some of the most effective video ad options out there. You want your CTV ads to work well and follow all rules. Check out the 2025 CTV ad formats and specs to be sure.

Comparison with Linear TV

This year, U.S. connected TV ad budgets will rise 18.8%. Regular linear TV ad budgets will only go up 0.7% instead. Two big reasons for this are the Summer Olympics and elections. That huge gap in growth rates shows advertisers prefer connected TV. Connected TV gives brands more ways to target specific viewers. It also measures how well ads work much more accurately. It lets brands reach larger, more engaged audiences too. But regular linear TV still has its place in mass-market ad campaigns.

Platform	Growth Rate	Key Advantages
CTV	18.8%	You get better ways to measure how your content performs. You also get sharper, more accurate targeting for who sees it. You’ll reach a far wider group of people overall. People will also interact with your content a lot more.
Linear TV	0.7%	Good for mass – market campaigns

Mixing CTV ads and regular linear TV is a great call. The right balance depends on what you want your ad campaign to achieve. If you’re trying to reach a small, specific group of people, focus more on CTV. Linear TV still works really well for getting lots of people to know your brand.

Leverage AI in Programmatic CTV

AI plays a big part in making automated connected TV ad spending work better. Tools called DSPs, short for demand-side platforms, use AI for this work. These platforms make anonymous user profiles by linking all your devices. The linked devices include phones, computers, tablets, and streaming devices. They use methods like device ID numbers to match devices correctly. Some matches are definite, others are educated guesses. AI helps advertisers track users across all their different devices. That ability is key for identifying users and showing them the right ads. For example, advertisers can use AI-powered DSPs to show connected TV ads to people who want their products. If you want to make your automated connected TV ad campaigns better, look for DSPs with advanced AI features.

Current Usage and Importance

CTV is already a major channel for running ads. It will keep changing the ad industry a lot in 2025. It lets people who run ads reach tons of people and get trackable results. OTT, also called over-the-top, and addressable TV have grown really popular. These services have opened up the TV ad market for more people. They lower how much you need to spend to run ads and add more options. A lot of people have wrong ideas about these ad types. The most common wrong belief is that OTT ads work the same on CTV as they do online. CTV has its own special features that ad creators should understand. They can use these features to make their ad campaigns work better. Stay up to date with new CTV industry trends as they come out. Adjust your ad budget based on what viewers do and market shifts. You can use our CTV Ad Performance Calculator to check how well your CTV ad campaigns performed. Key Takeaways.

• People who run ads on CTV need to adjust how they spend money. They have to set aside more cash for programmatic advertising.
• CTV ads need to be way more interesting to hold people’s attention. Companies are spending more money on CTV these days. They do this to keep up with how people’s regular habits are shifting.
• CTV is the streaming content you watch on smart TVs. It’s growing faster than regular linear TV, which is the traditional kind with set scheduled show times. What works best depends on what your ad campaign aims to achieve. Sometimes using both types of TV together will give you better results.
• AI, short for artificial intelligence, makes cross-device tracking work better. Cross-device tracking follows what people do across all their different gadgets. This improvement helps automated ad campaigns run better on smart streaming TVs.
• CTV advertising is totally unique. People who run these ads need to avoid wrong ideas about it.

FAQ

What is CTV programmatic?

CTV Programmatic mixes two separate things together. One is connected TV, which people call CTV for short. The other is programmatic advertising technology. Experts who follow the ad industry note one big plus. It combines the wide reach of regular TV and the sharp targeting of digital ads. Advertisers can choose exactly who sees their ads. They can target people based on their demographics. They can also use people’s viewing habits and personal interests. An analysis from [Definition] says this approach is completely changing advertising.

How to access OTT inventory for CTV ads?

There are a few different ways to access OTT stock. Private marketplaces like Madhive offer exclusive access to high-quality inventory. You can also buy directly through platforms such as Hulu. Combined offers from publishers like ESPN and CNN give you more control. The third growing option is programmatic access through DSPs, but quality can vary a lot. Industry experts say you should look into all your options first. Pick the one that fits your campaign best.

CTV programmatic vs traditional TV advertising: What’s the difference?

CTV programmatic ads are a great alternative to regular TV ads. They let you target the exact group of people you want to reach, and get the best possible ad spots. They target audiences more accurately than regular TV ads can. That’s because they use device graphs and first-party data to do this. CTV ads will have a growing impact in 2024. This is based on global trends for how much companies spend on ads. CTV also lets users buy and sell ad spots in real time, as described in [Market Trends].

Steps for optimizing CTV ad viewability?

To optimize CTV ad viewability:

1. Ads should line up with content that lots of people are really eager to watch or attend. Common examples are hit TV shows, or big popular public events.
2. Make sure your ad’s format fits the platform’s official rules. These rules cover the shape of your ad and how big its file is.
3. You can measure and tweak your ad campaigns using smart data analysis. These steps follow common top industry best practices. They can make your CTV ads work a lot better. We studied standard CTV ad viewability benchmarks for our analysis. We found more people seeing your ads leads to better campaign results.