Connected TV (CTV)
Connected TV (CTV) refers to television content delivered over the internet to a TV screen "” via smart TVs, streaming sticks, and consoles "” and the premium, addressable advertising that runs against it.
Key takeaways
- CTV is TV content streamed over the internet to a television screen.
- It combines the impact of TV with the addressability and measurement of digital.
- Ads are served in pods, with frequency and competitive-separation rules.
- CTV is the fastest-growing premium programmatic channel.
What makes CTV different
CTV pairs the large-screen, lean-back experience of television with digital's ability to target and measure at the household level. Unlike linear TV, where everyone sees the same spot, CTV can deliver addressable ads to specific households and report on delivery impression by impression.
Ad pods and stream mechanics
CTV ads run inside ad pods "” commercial breaks that may hold several spots. The supply side must handle pod construction, competitive separation (no two car brands back to back), and frequency across a viewing session, problems that don't exist in standard display and that make CTV monetization distinctly complex.
Measurement and the fragmentation problem
Because CTV spans many apps, devices, and publishers, no single cookie ties it together. Measurement relies on IP-based household graphs, ACR data, and clean-room matching, and cross-publisher reach and frequency remain among the channel's hardest open problems.
| What it is | Streamed TV on a television screen |
|---|---|
| Ad delivery | Server-side, in ad pods |
| Superpower | Household addressability + digital measurement |
| Hard problem | Cross-publisher reach and frequency |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CTV and OTT?
OTT is any TV content delivered over the internet regardless of device; CTV specifically means that content viewed on a television screen. All CTV is OTT, but OTT also includes phones and laptops.
Why is CTV advertising more complex than display?
CTV adds pod construction, competitive separation, session-level frequency, and cross-app measurement "” none of which exist in standard display auctions.
Can you target individual households on CTV?
Yes. CTV supports household-level addressable targeting using IP-based identity graphs and first-party or clean-room-matched data, subject to privacy rules.