How do Netflix, Prime Video and Hulu fit into a CTV buying plan?

Two kinds of CTV buy

A CTV plan usually combines two kinds of buy. One is a multi-publisher platform that spreads budget across many apps and networks and reports results in one place. The other is a direct buy with a publisher that sells its own inventory, sometimes exclusively. Knowing which publishers fall into the second group saves time.

What the publishers publish

Netflix. Netflix's advertiser site offers a "Get Connected" contact rather than a self-serve sign-up, and shows no pricing or minimum on its homepage. It describes the Netflix Ads Suite, with updates on targeting and frequency management, and cites "41 Hours a Month" of viewing for ads members in the U.S. (Netflix internal data). Its FAQ covers programmatic markets and deal types. In short: Netflix is bought through its sales team or programmatic partners.

Prime Video. Amazon lists Prime Video, Twitch, Thursday Night Football and Fire TV as exclusive inventory in its programmatic buying, now part of Amazon Ads Agent. DVA+ states CPM billing with no minimum spend.

Hulu and Disney+. Disney Campaign Manager, formerly Hulu Ad Manager, is a self-serve tool for Hulu and Disney+ only, with "a low minimum spend of $500 per campaign".

What multi-publisher platforms list

Hulu and Disney+ also appear in several multi-publisher catalogs. Vibe's channel catalog listed Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock and ESPN among more than 500 channels; MNTN named Peacock, HBO Max and Hulu among its premium networks. Neither Netflix nor Prime Video was listed in Vibe's catalog. Universal Ads described reach across "20+ of the biggest names in TV" without naming them in its homepage text.

Listing a publisher does not mean every placement or every show is available. Catalogs describe where a platform can buy; delivery depends on deals, auctions and your targeting.

How to plan around it

1. Start from your audience. Which services do your customers watch? A brand whose audience lives on Prime Video and Thursday Night Football needs Amazon in the plan.
2. Use a multi-publisher platform for the test. A pilot that measures incrementality is easier on one platform that buys broadly and reports in one place.
3. Add direct buys where they are essential. If a publisher is not reachable through your platform, buy it directly and measure it with the same method, for example the same geo holdout regions.
4. Keep measurement consistent. Walled gardens often report results inside their own systems. Use your own analytics or a third-party partner so results can be compared.

A worked example

Consider a direct-to-consumer brand with a $150,000 quarterly CTV budget whose customers skew toward live sports and premium drama. A workable plan might put most of the budget on one multi-publisher platform that lists the sports and drama apps it needs and describes incrementality testing, run a geo holdout there, and set aside a smaller direct buy with Amazon for Thursday Night Football if that audience is essential. Both buys would use the same control regions so the results can be read side by side.

If Netflix is a must, the brand would contact Netflix's sales team or check which programmatic partners can access it, and plan for its minimums and measurement as a separate line. The figures in this example are illustrative, not quotes from any vendor; the point is the structure: one measured core buy, plus direct buys only where a publisher is essential.

Where this shows up on our site

Netflix Ads is on our "reviewed, not scored" list because its pages do not publish enough to score every criterion. Amazon Ads and Disney Campaign Manager are scored, and both lead or score high on specific criteria: Amazon on published inventory reach, Disney Campaign Manager on pricing clarity.