CTV: Making The Connection

What is CTV?

A ‘Connected TV’ is - wait for it - connected to the internet and able to stream digital video content from platforms like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+, via built-in ‘smart TV’ functions or external devices like streaming sticks, games consoles or set-top boxes.

(Viewers can also stream this content on their mobiles, tablets and laptops as part of the wider OTT ‘Over The Top’ streaming ecosystem, but in this article we’re purely focusing on that big screen in your living room; the CTV, and the advertising opportunity it represents.)

CTV: An untapped opportunity?

CTV is the fastest-growing major ad channel in the US, with projected US revenue of $33.35 billion in 2025, and a trajectory set to surpass traditional ‘linear’ TV ad spend by 2028 according to eMarketer.

And yet, viewership is moving even faster than ad spend. Last year, US adults spent 17.9% of their media time watching CTV, while brands invested only 7.4% of media budgets there. (eMarketer, 2025). Innovid (2025) reports that the average CTV campaign reach across their universe of 95 million households is 19.64%, leaving 80% of households untapped. That’s a lot of potential reach, awareness and action going unutilised.

What makes CTV so powerful?

CTV ads appear within streaming content on TV screens, but unlike traditional ‘linear’ TV, they can be served programmatically, meaning they can be targeted in real-time based on interests and viewing habits, not just demographics.

There are more CTV benefits too:

• Big-screen real estate to capture attention

• A high-quality, brand safe environment for your ads

• 80% penetration of 25-54 year olds

• Higher reach of Gen Z than traditional linear TV

• Real-time results, enabling optimisation of creative, devices, time slots & channels

• Less ‘signal loss’ than channels like social, driving better user-tracking

• ‘Lean-back’ viewer mindset driving higher video completion rates than social ads

• Heavy dual-screening allowing viewers to search or scan your brand on their mobile

So, how can games get the most out of CTV ads?

1. Treat CTV as a unique channel

These relatively early days of CTV are seeing many game brands edit their assets into fairly generic spots with no exploitation of the unique opportunities available. You don’t have to make an ad purely for CTV, but you should be planning for it within your campaign toolkit, ensuring you have horizontal assets at the very least. (We’ve seen numerous vertical video ads running on that beautiful big horizontal TV screen!) If you can tailor those assets for high-impact, high-entertainment CTV storytelling, even better.

You should also be thinking about the power of sound. Your audience is very likely to have their TV turned up loud while they stream their favourite shows. Think about how to get their attention aurally as well as visually. Ensure any on-screen text is paired with voiceover or dialogue to reduce dissonance and land your message.

2. Adopt an entertainment mindset

Streaming platforms are constantly improving the quality and diversity of their content, and your game has the chance to tell a short but compelling story in the middle of these world class shows. (And the trashy ones we all secretly love!). Don’t waste it.

CTV primarily commands what Orlando Wood at System1 calls ‘Broad Beam’ attention; the right side of the brain that’s looking at the TV screen for rich and sustained entertainment. Think about ways to stimulate that kind of attention - avoiding advertising tropes that are so predictable they become invisible. Push your storytelling skills harder. Look for unexpected perspectives, unfolding narrative, characters with agency, distinctive accents, unexpected twists, atypical timing and structures.

If you’re including gameplay highlights, listing features, player testimonials or reviews - push for fresh visual approaches that catch the eye and draw viewers in. 

3. Lead with the heart 

As the team at System1 say, ‘emotion drives action’. Their research has shown that ads with emotional intensity increase brand favorability by as much as 73%, and drive action intent x1.5.

Depending on the genre of your game, dial up the joy, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise or fear that helps tell your story. Capture shifts in emotion between characters, find tension through conflict, intimacy or jeopardy.

Positive emotion is particularly effective, helping 20% higher lift in ad recall. As the late great Victor Børge once said; ‘Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.’ So if you want your CTV ad to connect, find ways to imbue it with intense positive emotion, from absurd slapstick to dry humour.

4. Start strong and keep it short

10 to 30s is the sweet spot for high completion rates (peaking at 96% for 30-second spots according to Innovid). Long enough to tell a story, short enough to keep attention.

Put your most important content up front, trying to weave the name of your game in early and quickly establishing a hook that demands attention. 

Try persistent elements (the brand name or CTA) rather than waiting for the end of the ad. The beauty of CTV is that you can find the most effective formula very quickly, optimizing the best versions of your ads for each target segment.

5. Turn attention into action

Once you’ve engaged the right brain’s ‘Broad Beam’ attention, think about how to inspire ‘Narrow Beam’ focus on your game with a compelling CTA to tap the remote for more information, search your brand or scan a QR code on their smartphone. The odds are in your favour; with 71% of CTV viewers holding their smartphones throughout their viewing (Mediascience, 2024).

Innovid (2025) found that interactive CTV formats like product galleries and QR codes are particularly effective, earning 71 seconds of additional attention over standard formats. 

6. Refresh, optimise, repeat

Ongoing campaigns should avoid viewer fatigue, capping frequency at a reasonable number to avoid annoyance, and looking to refresh creative every 3 months or so. This quarterly rhythm allows for periods of effective optimisation, unlocking learnings that can be carried into the next campaign.

CTV Case Study: Design Home

We helped EA create ad concepts for their interior design game, specifically CTV ads, that ran on compatible ad networks for the ad type. Here's a snapshot of how we applied a CTV-specific mindset:

• VO asks “Looking for inspiration?” in the first 2s to capture attention

• Narrative introduces a character on a mission to experiment with multiple room styles

• Focuses on an expressive face conveying a variety of emotions from interest to joy

• Entertains with ever-shifting perspectives as different rooms and decor fly in and out

• Only cuts to shots of hands using the app once we know who they’re attached to!

Summary

CTV is a unique channel with unique potential, combining the storytelling power of the big screen with the targeting and action-driving power of smaller ones.  We recommend video game brands include CTV in their omni-channel campaigns, exploiting its unique qualities to make the strongest possible connections with their future players.

Want to chat about how your brand can leverage CTV? Get in touch with us at jimmy@waste-creative.com.