What is connected TV (CTV)?
Connected TV (CTV) is a television that can stream video content over the internet. That includes smart TVs with built-in apps and regular TVs connected to streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast or a game console. In advertising, CTV means ads shown inside streaming apps watched on the TV screen.
CTV inventory comes from ad-supported streaming services, free ad-supported TV channels (FAST), broadcaster apps and the ad tiers of subscription platforms. Buyers can reach these viewers programmatically instead of only through traditional TV deals.
How CTV advertising works
A viewer streams content in an app on their TV, and the app reaches an ad break.
An ad request is sent, often through server-side ad insertion (SSAI), which stitches ads into the video stream so they play like broadcast spots.
Buyers bid or deals fire. Much premium CTV supply is sold through a private marketplace or programmatic guaranteed deals, with some open exchange supply.
The video ad plays, delivered using the VAST standard, and is usually non-skippable.
Results are measured through completion rates, reach and frequency, and increasingly through household-level outcomes like site visits or sales.
Targeting on CTV is usually household-based. Signals include IP address, device type, app, content genre and, where available, data matched from logged-in streaming accounts.
Why CTV matters
Big screen, digital controls: TV-quality exposure with audience targeting, frequency capping and reporting that linear TV cannot match.
Reach beyond linear: it reaches viewers who watch little or no traditional broadcast TV.
High completion: ads are usually full screen and non-skippable, so they tend to complete more often than many web video placements.
Flexible budgets: programmatic CTV lets smaller advertisers test TV without a large upfront commitment.
Watch out for opaque supply. CTV CPMs are relatively high, which has attracted spoofed apps, so app-ads.txt checks, trusted deals and app-level reporting all matter.
CTV vs OTT
The terms are often used as synonyms, but they describe different things. OTT (over-the-top) is the delivery method: video streamed over the internet, bypassing cable or satellite, on any device. CTV is the device: the television screen. So an ad in a streaming app on a smart TV is both OTT and CTV, while the same app on a phone is OTT but not CTV.
CTV also overlaps with addressable TV, which usually refers to household-level targeting on TV through cable and satellite set-top boxes or smart TV platforms. Most CTV is addressable, but addressable TV can also include linear broadcasts delivered to specific households.
CTV with AdGeeks
We buy CTV through DV360, Amazon DSP and Adform, combining open supply with curated deals. Amazon DSP also gives access to Amazon streaming inventory such as Prime Video ads, alongside other CTV publishers. Our traders manage frequency across devices and report on completion and reach. To start testing CTV, request access.
