Connected TV
Connected TV and streaming advertising
TV advertising used to mean a big production, a national buy and no idea what happened next. Streaming changed two of those three. You can now buy a city, a language and an audience on the biggest screen in the house. Measuring the result still takes care.
What connected TV is good for
CTV puts a full-screen, sound-on ad in front of a household, often with several people watching. It is good at making a name familiar and a message memorable. A TV has no click, so it is weak at direct response.
It suits businesses that already capture demand well in search and want more people searching for them: a property launch, a clinic opening a second site, a brand arriving in a new city. Before that point, YouTube ads on all devices usually do more for the same money.
Ways to buy connected TV
| Route | How it is bought | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube on TV screens | Google Ads, with TV screens included or targeted as a device | Smaller budgets, and markets with few streaming ad sellers |
| Streaming apps through a DSP | Programmatic deals with streaming publishers | Markets where those publishers sell ads, audience targeting |
| Direct with a publisher | Bought from the streaming service itself | Large campaigns, specific programmes or live events |
How we plan and measure a CTV campaign
Confirm the inventory
What is sold in your country, through which route, with what targeting and minimums. Through a DSP, it is bought like any other programmatic deal.
Make a cut for the TV
Full screen, sound on, readable from a sofa, your name in the first seconds. Often an edit of video you already have, done by our video production team.
Set up test and control
Regions or periods without CTV, so the effect can be measured against something.
Read the lift
Branded searches, direct visits, leads and bookings in exposed areas against the control, using Search Console and visit data and lead sources from the CRM.
Scale, adjust or stop
Based on what each additional qualified lead cost.
What we report
Completion rate
How many ads were watched to the end. Usually high on a TV, so it checks the creative more than the result.
Reach and frequency
How many households saw the ads, and how often.
Branded search lift
The change in searches for your name in exposed areas, compared with the control.
Incremental leads
Qualified leads and bookings above the control baseline, and what each one cost.
Frequently asked questions
Is CTV available in every country?
No. Each country has a different set of streaming services selling ads, and some have very few. YouTube on TV screens is usually the first option to check. We confirm what is sold in your market before planning anything.
How much does CTV advertising cost?
It is priced per thousand impressions, and the price depends on the market, the app and the targeting. Some DSPs and publishers set minimum budgets. We size a test that is big enough to measure and no bigger.
Can we measure leads from CTV?
Not through clicks. We measure the lift in searches, visits and leads against a control group or region. Over longer periods and larger budgets, marketing mix modeling estimates its contribution alongside other channels.
Do we need a TV commercial?
No. A clear, well-lit video with good sound, cut for a big screen, does the job. Many campaigns start with an edit of footage you already use on YouTube or social.
CTV or YouTube ads?
YouTube on TV screens is CTV, and often the simplest way in. Other streaming apps add reach and different audiences once YouTube is working and measured.
Last updated · By the Napexy team
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