Connected TV (CTV) is everywhere in media plans. Budgets are growing. Promises are big.
But behind the scenes, marketers are asking questions. Why aren’t our results better? Why does measurement feel messier than ever? And how are we still overpaying for audiences we can’t confirm we reached?
In this Adweek webinar, CEO Angela Voss and VP of Media Catherine Walstad reveal why your CTV campaigns might be underdelivering and what to do about it.
1. CTV is changing, fast.
Streaming used to mean ad-free. Now it means choice. Interestingly, more viewers are picking ads over price hikes. In fact, 86% of streaming viewers watch ad-supported content, and platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon have all rolled out lower-cost ad tiers to match. That means more inventory, more reach, and more complexity.
Marketers now face a patchwork of platforms, inconsistent measurement standards, and rising viewer expectations. Each publisher plays by different rules, and audience behavior shifts constantly. What was supposed to be a simplified, digital-friendly version of TV has become harder to track, manage, and trust.
To make streaming work, marketers need to stop thinking of it as "TV like digital." CTV is something different entirely, and it demands its own strategy.
2. Performance isn’t guaranteed, especially on CTV.
CTV was meant to accomplish what linear couldn’t. Marketers were promised clearer targeting, measurement, and accountability. Instead, it’s layered on confusion and cost.
Streaming CPMs can run 5–10x higher than linear, and once you factor in DSP fees, data charges, and fraud protection, margins disappear fast. Hyper-targeting only makes it worse, limiting reach, driving up frequency, and often relying on flawed data. (One study showed just 8% of a tightly targeted campaign actually reached the right audience.)
Measurement hasn’t kept up either. With no standard currency, marketers are forced to compare conflicting metrics across platforms. Some impressions are double counted. Others run while the TV is off. For performance marketers who are used to precise metrics, the disconnect can be a dealbreaker.
3. CTV success requires rethinking strategy, not just measurement.
CTV can drive results, but only with the right strategy. That starts by rethinking how you buy, who you target, and how you measure success.
Buying media through a DSP instead of going direct gives you access to more publishers at better rates while helping control frequency and waste. Targeting broader audiences through demographics or contextual alignment instead of third-party segments keeps costs lower and reach higher. And measurement? It’s not about finding the best model. It’s about using multiple attribution models like IP tracking, holdout testing, and brand studies, to validate results and build confidence.
Keep learning. Marketing Architects’ media-buying AI, Annika, was built to cut unnecessary fees, expand reach across platforms, and provide access to multiple measurement models running in parallel. In one campaign, this approach cut CPMs by 43% and improved cost-per-order by 44% compared to industry-leading DSPs.