Connected TV advertising explained: what is CTV and when does it make sense?

Connected TV advertising is video advertising inside streaming content on internet-connected TVs: think of a spot during an episode on a streaming service’s ad-supported tier, or on a free streaming channel via a smart TV or a Roku or Fire TV stick. The difference with traditional TV? You can pick a specific audience and measure afterwards who saw your ad. The most important thing to know: CTV is strong at brand awareness, not at direct leads. For most Belgian B2B companies it only makes sense once your search and social ads are already paying off and you have budget left to work on top of funnel.

In this guide we explain what CTV (and OTT) actually is, how it works, how it differs from traditional TV, and when it does or does not fit your mix. We are a Belgian B2B growth agency, not a webshop, so we look at this through the lens of what brings in customers and revenue. And honestly: for many SMEs, CTV is not yet the first place to send your advertising budget.

Tip: check whether your ad budget is paying off with our free ROAS calculator.

What is Connected TV (CTV)?

Connected TV is exactly what it says: a television connected to the internet. But the scope is broader than smart TVs alone. CTV covers every device you use to stream content onto your TV screen: smart TVs from brands like Samsung and LG, streaming sticks like Roku and Amazon Fire TV, and even game consoles like a PlayStation or Xbox.

The shift is substantial. According to Pew Research, 83 percent of American adults watch streaming services, while only 36 percent still have a cable or satellite subscription at home. In Q4 2025, Nielsen found that 74.2 percent of all TV viewing time was ad-supported, with streaming taking the largest share at 45.6 percent: more than traditional cable or broadcast. The figures come from the US, but the direction is the same in Belgium and the Netherlands: viewers are shifting to streaming, and ad money follows.

You often hear CTV and OTT used interchangeably. The difference is simple: OTT (over-the-top) is the way video is delivered over the internet, independent of cable or satellite, and that can also happen on a phone, tablet or laptop. CTV is specifically the TV screen. In short: OTT is the delivery channel, CTV is the screen in your living room.

What is CTV advertising and how does it differ from traditional TV?

CTV advertising is a form of digital advertising in which you show video ads inside that streaming content. Your ad appears, for example, on the ad-supported tiers of streaming services or on free ad-supported streaming channels (FAST). You get the full, lean-back experience of a traditional TV spot, but with the reporting and optimisation of online advertising.

That is exactly where it differs from traditional TV. With a traditional TV campaign you buy a time slot and hope your audience is watching. You pay for a broad audience and afterwards you know little about who you actually reached. With CTV you can target precisely on location, interests and behaviour, and afterwards you see how many people saw your ad, how long they watched and what they did next. It is essentially PPC thinking applied to the biggest screen in the house.

That targeting keeps getting sharper, and the big players are jumping on it. Amazon has positioned its demand-side platform (DSP) as a cross-screen programmatic ecosystem, and Pinterest acquired tvScientific to connect its discovery-driven audience data to TV reach. Reach is growing fast too: Netflix’s ad-supported tier generated around 1.5 billion dollars in revenue in 2025 and expects to nearly double that in 2026. And specifically for B2B, it has recently become possible to reach professional audiences on the TV screen through LinkedIn Connected TV ads via partners such as Roku and Samsung, an extension of the existing LinkedIn Ads offering.

How does CTV advertising work technically?

The vast majority of CTV runs on programmatic advertising: an automated auction system that matches your ad to the right viewer in milliseconds. Simplified, it works like this, from the moment someone hits play:

1. The viewer starts content. Someone picks a programme on their smart TV or streaming device.
2. The publisher shares data. The streaming service sends available viewer information to an ad exchange: device type, content genre, possibly known demographics.
3. The auction starts. A real-time bidding process kicks off for this specific ad moment, before the content even loads.
4. DSPs bid. Advertisers bid automatically through their demand-side platform if the viewer meets their targeting criteria.
5. The highest bidder wins and their ad is shown.

This entire process happens in less than a second, across millions of devices at the same time. The key players are DSPs (which advertisers use to bid and target), SSPs (which publishers use to offer their ad inventory) and ad exchanges (the marketplaces where the two meet). You can buy CTV ads through an open auction, through a closed private marketplace, or through a direct deal at a fixed price.

In practice, as an advertiser you do not have to untangle that technology yourself. You work with a buying platform or an agency that sets it up. But it helps to understand that CTV uses the same data and auction logic as the rest of your digital ads, and therefore demands the same discipline when it comes to targeting and measurement.

When does CTV make sense for B2B (and when does it not)?

Here we have to be honest, because this is where many articles about CTV get vague. CTV advertising is first and foremost a brand awareness channel. It is excellent for introducing your brand to a specific audience and staying in their heads. It is not the channel that delivers a stream of quote requests next week. Anyone who runs CTV expecting direct leads is going to be disappointed.

To see where CTV belongs, it helps to picture your funnel. CTV works on the top layer, where people get to know your brand, while your leads come in at the bottom through high-intent channels.

For B2B, that means the following. CTV can make sense if:

• You have a clearly defined audience you can reach geographically or through interests (for example decision makers in a certain region or sector).
• Your goal is brand awareness and trust in a market with a long buying cycle, where people need to know your name before they will talk to you.
• You already have budget left over once your performance channels are paying off, and you want to strengthen top of funnel.

CTV is usually not the right first step if:

• You are a small or mid-sized SME and your advertising budget is limited. You will almost always get more return from search ads (people actively searching), LinkedIn ads (precise B2B targeting) and remarketing (bringing back people who already visited your site).
• You are mainly steering on direct leads or short-term sales. CTV works on a different, slower layer.
• You cannot invest enough to generate meaningful data. A CTV budget that is too small produces noise, not insight.

Our rule of thumb: steer on customers and revenue, not on vanity reach. Start with the channels where intent is highest and the return is measurable fastest. Only once that machine is running does it make sense to feed the top of your funnel with brand awareness through CTV. For the right company, at the right moment, CTV is a strong channel. It is just rarely the first one.

What does CTV advertising cost and how do you measure it?

CTV is usually billed on a CPM basis (cost per thousand impressions). For most American campaigns, rates sit between 20 and 40 dollars per thousand impressions according to AI Digital, with many campaigns around 25 dollars CPM, depending on how deep your targeting goes and how premium the content is. Premium direct deals, such as on Netflix, are considerably higher. Belgian rates differ per platform and partner, but the order of magnitude gives you an idea: this is an investment you have to plan deliberately.

A few principles for spending your budget wisely:

• Start with a test budget. Industry guidance often points to 15 to 30 percent of your digital video budget as a starting point for a meaningful test. Not everything at once.
• Set frequency caps. Research (cited by Simulmedia) suggests that three to seven impressions optimise impact, while more than ten can actually lower purchase intent. You burn budget by hitting the same viewer too often.
• Measure what counts. Look beyond impressions. Track completion rate (do people watch your spot through?), website visits after the campaign, and ultimately the impact on your ROAS and enquiries. Platform figures often overstate CTV’s contribution, so incrementality tests (exposed versus control group) give a more honest picture.

CTV rewards deliberate spending over volume. The difference between a campaign that works and one that burns money lies in clear goals, a defined audience and good creative that still lands with the sound off.

Frequently asked questions about CTV advertising

What is the difference between CTV and OTT?

CTV refers to the devices that connect a TV screen to the internet: smart TVs, streaming sticks and game consoles. OTT is the broader method of delivering video over the internet and also covers phones, tablets and laptops. A CTV buy specifically targets that TV set in the living room, whereas a broader OTT buy can reach every screen.

Is CTV a lead channel or a branding channel?

Branding, first and foremost. CTV is strong at building brand awareness and trust with a targeted audience, but it is not a direct-response channel that brings in leads in the short term. For leads, search ads, LinkedIn and remarketing are generally more efficient.

Do I need a large TV budget to get started with CTV?

No. Self-serve buying platforms have lowered the barrier considerably, which means you can test CTV without a traditional TV budget. But you do need enough budget to generate meaningful data. A test that is too small delivers no usable insight.

Does CTV make sense for a small Belgian B2B SME?

Usually only as a second step. Start with high-intent channels with quickly measurable returns (search ads, LinkedIn, remarketing). Once that machine is running, and you want to build brand awareness with a specific audience, CTV can be a strong addition.

Ready to put your advertising budget to smart use?

CTV is an interesting channel, but only if the rest of your advertising foundation is already in place. The question is not “should we go on TV?”, but “where does our euro deliver the most return today?”. We help you make that choice based on what brings in customers and revenue, not on what sounds loudest. No webshop tricks, just honest advice for B2B.

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