It’s 2024. Traditional TV viewership is decreasing, cord-cutting is increasing, and audiences are flocking to streaming services. Consequently, the popularity of connected TV (CTV) advertising is on the rise. 

With CTV ads, exposure is almost guaranteed. Boasting completion rates of around 95%, the ads are virtually unskippable, meaning that when they roll out on a streaming platform, viewers are highly likely to see them in their entirety. But there’s more to CTV advertising than just high completion rates.

Imagine having the ability to target your audience with precision. CTV ads aren’t just about reaching a broad audience; they’re about reaching the right audience. This targeted approach, backed by measurable insights, allows for a more efficient and effective advertising strategy. You’re not just casting a wide net and hoping for the best; you’re strategically crafting your campaigns to engage the exact audience you want.

However, to leverage the full potential of CTV advertising, it’s crucial to collaborate with the right CTV platform. This is where your choice becomes as crucial as the ads’ content itself. Different platforms offer varying features, targeting capabilities, and audience reach, all of which can significantly impact the success of your advertising efforts.

In the following sections, we’ll look at what a CTV advertising platform is. More importantly, we’ll spotlight the best CTV advertising platforms for 2024, providing insights on each to help you make an informed decision when it comes to your advertising strategy. 

What Is A CTV Advertising Platform

A CTV advertising platform is a specialized digital tool that enables advertisers to place ads on connected TV devices, including smart TVs, streaming devices, and game consoles. These platforms are designed to bridge the gap between traditional television advertising and the digital advertising ecosystem, leveraging the advantages of both worlds.

As an advertiser, a CTV advertising platform allows you to:

  • Reach targeted audiences based on specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.
  • Run programmatic campaigns. Ads can be bought and sold automatically through real-time bidding auctions.
  • Track campaign performance: A robust platform provides detailed data on impressions, clicks, conversions, and other metrics.

Publishers, on the other hand, can use a CTV advertising platform to monetize their content, manage ad inventory, and reach a wider audience. With this understanding of a CTV advertising platform, the next question naturally arises: What constitutes a good CTV advertising platform?

What Makes for A Good CTV Advertising Platform?

Not all CTV ad platforms are created the same. Therefore, knowing what to look for is essential when selecting a platform. Here are some features a good platform will have:

Broad Reach, Premium Inventory, and Advanced Targeting

A good CTV advertising platform offers broad reach, diverse, premium inventory, and advanced targeting capabilities. This trifecta is crucial.

Access to a broad range of CTV channels means that your ads have the potential to reach a wide and relevant audience. The right inventory mix and sophisticated targeting techniques are fundamental in maximizing ad effectiveness and ensuring your message resonates with the intended demographic.

User Experience and Engagement

Advertising is not just about placing an ad; it’s about how viewers experience that ad. As such, ad formats that capture viewers’ attention without disrupting their viewing experience are key. A good CTV advertising platform understands the delicate balance between engagement and intrusion, crafting ad experiences that are both captivating and non-intrusive.

Robust Analytics and Reporting

The ability to provide detailed insights into campaign performance, viewer engagement, and other key metrics is indispensable for any CTV platform. This data-driven approach allows advertisers to continually refine and optimize their campaigns for better results.

Privacy Compliance and Brand Safety

In today’s digital age, respecting user privacy and ensuring that your ads align with brand safety norms is not just a good practice but a necessity. A good CTV advertising platform prioritizes these aspects, ensuring that ad delivery is responsible and respectful of viewers’ privacy. 

Integration with Other Digital Channels

A platform that seamlessly blends CTV campaigns with other digital advertising efforts demonstrates a holistic understanding of marketing strategy, ensuring a cohesive and comprehensive approach to brand promotion.

Customer Support

Lastly, exceptional customer support and service can make a world of difference. From campaign setup and optimization to troubleshooting, a good CTV advertising platform stands by its clients, offering expert guidance and support every step of the way.

The Best CTV Advertising Platforms for 2024

The following solutions have the makings of a good platform — they will supercharge your CTV campaigns and put your ads center stage in living rooms (and bedrooms and kitchens) across the globe.

The Trade Desk

This platform allows you to create, manage, optimize, and analyze CTV advertising campaigns. When you set up your CTV campaigns with The Trade Desk, you get access to over 20 premium CTV partners that provide premium data, inventory, and brand safety.

Key features of CTV advertising on The Trade Desk

  • Data-driven targeting to reach target audiences at the right time.
  • Incremental reach to maximize audience penetration and budget.
  • Premium inventory to maximize engagement and reduce wasted impressions.
  • Precise frequency for more efficient reach.
  • AI-powered campaign optimization.
  • Efficient measurement of both digital and traditional metrics.

Learn more about setting up campaigns in The Trade Desk in this step-by-step guide.

Google DV360

Google DV360 supports planning, setting up, and measuring CTV campaigns. Using the platform, you can access:

  • The top 50 most-watched ad-supported CTV apps in the US 
  • An impressive 80% of all CTV households across the US 
  • 92% of ad-supported CTV households in the US

Key features of CTV advertising in Google DV360

  • Unified buying: Access premium CTV inventory across YouTube, Hulu, Peacock, and over 100 other major publishers — all from one consolidated platform.
  • Google Analytics integration: Analyze CTV campaign performance alongside website data in Google Analytics for a complete picture of user behavior.
  • Brand safety controls: Ensure your ads appear next to safe and relevant content with brand safety filters.
  • Global reach: Tap into CTV audiences across various countries and languages to expand your brand’s reach.
  • Reach Planner feature: Analyze streaming publishers’ incremental reach and gain insights into potential performance before campaign spending.
  • Audience filters: Simplify finding inventory packages against third-party audiences.
  • Ad frequency settings: Control how often viewers see your ad, avoiding ad fatigue and ensuring your CTV budget goes further.
  • Unique Reach Overlap report: Measure the impact of frequency settings when it comes to minimizing overlap and reducing media waste.

To get the most out of these features and more, check out the top best practices for setting up DV360 ad campaigns.

StackAdapt

StackAdapt is a self-serve programmatic advertising platform with a variety of useful features. The platform is known for its ease of use, which makes it a popular choice.

Key features of CTV advertising on StackAdapt

  • Precise targeting allows you to target your ads to a specific audience based on demographics, interests, and online behavior.
  • Comprehensive reporting so you can track the performance of your campaigns and make adjustments as required.
  • Machine learning optimization analyzes your campaign data and makes adjustments to your targeting, bidding, and creatives to improve your results.
  • Provides a variety of creative tools to help you create high-quality ads.
  • Integrates with a number of other platforms, such as Google Analytics and Salesforce.

Amazon DSP

CTV advertising on Amazon DSP works by leveraging Amazon’s extensive data and technology to deliver targeted advertising to audiences on streaming TV content. When used correctly, the platform offers several benefits, including reaching engaged audiences at scale, increased brand awareness, and advanced audience targeting.

Key features of CTV advertising on Amazon DSP

  • Premium inventory across popular platforms and devices.
  • Data-driven targeting that allows you to reach specific audiences based on Amazon’s expansive user data and purchase history.
  • Advanced creative capabilities, including the use of dynamic creative formats that can adapt to different contexts.
  • Incremental household reach to help brands measure the unique, incremental audience they reached through Amazon streaming TV ad campaigns
  • Detailed reporting and analytics to track campaign performance and gain insights into user behavior.

Discover how to set up effective Amazon DSP campaigns here.

Basis Technologies

Basis Technologies (formerly Centro) “connects advertisers with engaged viewers.” The platform provides access to 93% of smart TVs in the US, 80 trackable metrics, and over 1,000 advanced targeting parameters.

 Key features of CTV advertising on Basis Technologies

  • Custom audience creation, allowing you to build tailored segments based on specific criteria.
  • Targeting capabilities that minimize waste.
  • Private marketplace (PMP) library with premium brand inventory and exclusive inventory deals.
  • First-party data to build custom audiences and messaging.
  • Advanced real-time reporting and analytics for data-driven decision-making and strategizing.

How To Choose the Right CTV Advertising Platform

When choosing a CTV advertising platform, several key elements need careful consideration. Firstly, you must assess whether your chosen service provider has the essential qualities of a top-notch CTV platform (as previously highlighted), including audience targeting capabilities, ad format flexibility, and robust analytics capabilities.

Going beyond this, you need to determine how robust a company’s track record is. This step is critical as it speaks volumes about the company’s ability to deliver results and provide tangible insights into your advertising efforts.

Finally, aligning the offerings of a CTV advertising company with your specific business goals, requirements, and target audience is vital. This alignment ensures that your advertising efforts are cohesive, targeted, and, ultimately, more effective.

Sounds like a lot? That’s because it is, which is why it’s a good idea to partner with an expert that can help you navigate all the details. As specialists collaborating with various CTV advertising companies, Grapeseed Media brings a wealth of expertise in planning, deploying, and managing advanced programmatic technologies.

Our comprehensive CTV advertising solution includes selecting the optimal CTV platform based on your needs, crafting targeted advertising strategies, and leveraging our deep understanding of programmatic ad buying to maximize ROAS. This approach maximizes the impact and reach of CTV campaigns, making us an ideal partner in your advertising journey.

To learn more about how Grapeseed Media can help you win with CTV advertising in 2024, get in touch with our team and embark on a journey of impactful, targeted, and successful advertising.