What is CTV advertising and how is it bought?

A plain definition

Connected TV (CTV) advertising is video advertising shown in streaming apps on a television screen: a smart TV, a streaming stick or box, or a games console. The ad usually runs in a break inside a show or a live event, much like a linear TV spot, but it is delivered over the internet to one household at a time. That single fact explains most of what makes CTV different from broadcast: it can be targeted by household, capped by frequency, and tied to later activity on the web or in an app.

People often use CTV and OTT as if they meant the same thing. OTT ("over the top") describes streamed content delivered without a cable or satellite box, on any screen. CTV narrows that to the television itself. For a buyer the difference matters because a TV screen has no click and is shared by a household, so measurement relies on matching households rather than following a cookie.

Three ways to buy

There are three common routes to CTV inventory.

1. Self-serve CTV platforms. You open an account, upload a video, set targeting and budget, and launch. The platform buys inventory across many apps and reports results. Vibe, for example, lists more than 500 channels in its catalog, including Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock and ESPN.
2. Programmatic demand-side platforms (DSPs). Large platforms that buy video, display, audio and CTV in one place, usually used by agencies or in-house trading teams. The Trade Desk describes itself as an omnichannel DSP covering connected TV alongside six other channels.
3. A publisher's own tool or sales team. Some streaming services sell their own inventory directly. Disney Campaign Manager, for example, sells Hulu and Disney+ ads and nothing else. Amazon sells Prime Video, Twitch and Thursday Night Football inventory through its own ads products.

What changes between the routes

The route you pick sets three things. First, reach: a publisher tool reaches only that publisher's audience, while a multi-publisher platform spreads a budget across many apps. Second, control: self-serve tools let you change targeting and budgets at any time, while a managed buy goes through an account team. Third, proof: some platforms describe attribution and incrementality testing in detail, others report delivery (impressions and completion) and leave outcome measurement to you.

How a campaign actually runs

A typical self-serve flow has five steps: create an account, add a measurement pixel or connect a measurement partner, upload a 15 or 30 second video, choose audiences and channels, then set a daily or total budget and launch. Reporting shows impressions, completion rate and, where the platform supports it, site visits, conversions and return on ad spend.

What to take from this lesson

Before comparing platforms, decide which of the three routes fits your plan. If one publisher is essential, its own tool or sales team may be the only way in. If you want to test CTV broadly and prove what it added, look at platforms that publish their measurement and incrementality methods. The ranking on this site is built around that second question.