--- title: Connected TV (CTV) — definition | RGM® Glossary url: https://realgrowthmatters.com/glossary/connected-tv/ updated: 2026-06-10 source_html: https://realgrowthmatters.com/glossary/connected-tv/ --- # Connected TV (CTV) con·nect·ed T·V/kəˈnɛktɪd ˌtɛləˈvɪʒən/noun Television's screen, digital's plumbing — the living room finally joined the auction. Term : Connected TV (CTV) Cousins : OTT (the delivery), linear (the ancestor) Buying : Programmatic via DSPs + platform direct Fuel : Ad-supported streaming tiers (AVOD/FAST) ## Forms & parts of speech CTV · acronym The streaming-TV ad channel. "Shift the linear money into **CTV** — same screen, real frequency caps, actual measurement." ## Definition in plain terms Connected TV (CTV) is television content streamed through internet-connected devices — smart TVs, streaming sticks, consoles — and, in marketing usage, the AD CHANNEL that reaches viewers there. It buys television's big-screen, lean-back attention with digital advertising's machinery: audience targeting, frequency control, programmatic pipes, and impression-level measurement. OTT names the delivery method; CTV names the device context advertisers actually buy. ## The mechanics The inventory comes from ad-supported streaming — AVOD tiers of major services, FAST channels, and broadcaster apps — transacted programmatically (DSPs, private marketplaces) and direct. The capabilities linear never had: household-level targeting (first-party and retail data), unified frequency capping across apps, and outcome measurement through panels, identity graphs, and lift studies. The growing pains are real: fragmented apps re-create the frequency chaos capping was meant to fix, bundled 'TV-adjacent' inventory dilutes quality (the screen matters — a phone autoplaying isn't the living room), and measurement standards are still settling. Creative law: it's television — sound-on, full-attention storytelling, not repurposed social cuts. ## When it matters CTV matters as the bridge channel: brand builders get television's attention with addressable precision and smaller minimums (no upfront required), performance teams get the top-of-funnel layer their dashboards can finally see. It fits as the reach-and-priming engine above search and social capture — and it's where linear budgets migrate as audiences do. Buy-side hygiene carries over from programmatic: demand transparency on app-level placement, cap frequency across the whole buy, and measure lift against holdouts, not platform self-grading. **Worked example.** A regional insurance brand priced out of linear TV runs its first CTV flight: $80k across two DSP private marketplaces, household targeting on its service area, strict cross-app frequency caps, app-level placement reporting required in the IO. Creative is made FOR the screen — a 30-second story, sound-on. Measurement: branded search and quote-start lift versus holdout zips. The flight delivers 70% of linear's metro reach at a third of the entry cost, with a measured 12% quote-start lift — television economics, finally sized to a challenger's budget. **Failure modes to watch.** Repurposing vertical social clips onto the living-room screen; buying blind bundles where 'CTV' includes phone autoplay; letting per-app frequency chaos torch the budget; and grading the channel on platform-reported conversions instead of lift. ## Synonyms & antonyms ### Synonyms CTVconnected TVstreaming TV advertising ### Antonyms linear TV (the ancestor)OTT (the delivery term) ## Origin & history 'Connected TV' emerged from 2010s ad-industry vocabulary (IAB glossaries of the era) as smart TVs and streaming devices needed distinguishing from both linear television and desktop video — the term naming the DEVICE context as ad-supported streaming made the living room buyable; AVOD's 2020s boom made it a budget line. Etymology: [source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connected_TV). ## Usage trends Search interest for this term over the last five years: [View interest-over-time on Google Trends →](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=connected%20tv%20advertising&date=today%205-y) ## Common questions What is connected TV? : Television streamed via internet-connected devices — and the ad channel reaching viewers there with digital targeting and measurement. How do CTV and OTT differ? : OTT names internet delivery of video generally; CTV names the television-device context advertisers buy. Why are advertisers moving to CTV? : TV-grade attention with addressable targeting, frequency control, smaller minimums, and measurable lift — as audiences leave linear. ## Related tools & calculators - tool[CAC calculator](/tools/cac-calculator/) - tool[LTV-to-CAC ratio](/tools/ltv-to-cac-ratio-calculator/) ## Resources & people to follow - referenceIAB — CTV standards and buyer guides - referenceNielsen — streaming-share measurement - referenceANA/programmatic studies — the transparency carryover Curated, non-competitor resources verified per term. ## Related training - module[Growth marketing foundations](/training/growth-marketing-foundations/) ## Disciplines Areas of marketing where connected tv (ctv) is a core concern: [Channels](/training/growth-marketing-foundations/)[Brand strategy](/training/growth-marketing-foundations/) ## Read next ## Related terms [Programmatic advertising](/glossary/programmatic-advertising/)[Demand-side platform](/glossary/demand-side-platform/)[Out-of-home](/glossary/out-of-home/)[The 60-40 rule](/glossary/60-40-rule/)[Viewability](/glossary/viewability/) ## Sources 1. trends[Google Trends — "connected tv advertising"](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=connected%20tv%20advertising&date=today%205-y)