CTV beats linear for audience reach

Research from programmatic video platform Tremor Video and ad platform Unruly, in partnership with research and advisor firm MTM Global, reveals that nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of US digital advertising professionals believe that CTV reaches target audiences more effectively than linear TV, with 85 per cent making CTV a key part of their video strategy.

The study focuses on how connected TV (CTV) is used by advertisers and key areas for development, and includes surveys and in-depth interviews with brand marketers and media agency professionals.

“As a result of consumers increasingly engaging with CTV content and at notably higher rates since the Covid-19 outbreak last year, we are seeing more and more advertisers making CTV a prominent fixture in their strategic planning,” advises Justin Chadwick, VP Marketing, Tremor Video. “We believe this growth trend is likely to continue, as our research suggests that advertisers perceive CTV not only as an essential component of their media mix, but also as an effective one in terms of fulfilling their key business objectives.”

Tremor Video and Unruly conducted the research to learn more about how advertisers are currently thinking about the opportunities, challenges and effectiveness of the fast-emerging CTV medium, within the broader context of their marketing mix. It also offers brands and media agencies actionable insights into how best to leverage CTV. Key findings include:

• 85 per cent of those surveyed say CTV is a key part of their video advertising strategy (90 per cent of media agencies and 75 per cent of brand advertisers)
• 90 per cent of respondents plan to increase their 2021 CTV budgets, with an average increase of 53 per cent
• 56 per cent of media agency respondents and 37 per cent of brand advertiser respondents predict that more than half of their video budgets will be spent on CTV in 2021
• 75 per cent of respondents believe that CTV has been more important to their business’ marketing success during the Covid-19 pandemic
• 94 per cent of respondents believe that CTV campaigns successfully meet their marketing objectives

Since the pandemic’s onset, Tremor Video has observed an acceleration in the shift from linear TV to CTV, as more viewers have turned to Ad-Supported Video on Demand (AVoD) in particular for their dynamic streaming content. According to Nielsen, roughly three times as many Americans are now embracing AVoD as compared to before the pandemic.

Moreover, Tremor’s research suggests that CTV is more effective in driving consumer actions than linear TV. According to a recent Tremor study, consumers exposed to CTV advertising are 71 per cent more likely to advocate and tell a friend about a brand than consumers exposed to linear TV, with 52 per cent more likely to buy a product and 45 per cent more likely to visit a store or product website.

“With CTV penetration growing in such rapid ways, with for out of five households streaming their content on large TV devices, we believe CTV is one of the most important channels in our media mix,” says Shana Kohen, SVP, Group Account Director, Carat. “More time spent from viewers on CTV means more inventory. This coupled with the technological improvements such as more targeting and identity options, ability to bring data in, cross-device measurement—all of this helps ad spend flow to CTV.”

Scheduled to launch in late May 2021, Tremor Video’s new TV Intelligence offering will leverage its experience in CTV and addressable TV retargeting to allow advertisers to reach the most relevant consumers with precision, using a wide breadth and depth of audience data assets. Advanced television