With so many ad formats and devices now labeled “CTV,” are we seeing innovation – or inflation? How do advertisers draw the line between genuine Connected TV and everything that merely plays on a connected screen? Dan Larkman, CEO and founder of Keynes Digital, weighs in.
Has CTV become a victim of its own success?
CTV has become one of the fastest-growing areas in advertising, and with that growth has come confusion. What started as ads placed alongside professionally produced, long-form television content is now used to describe paused-screen ads, in-app placements on gaming consoles, and even inventory from unclear resellers.
This definitional drift weakens the value of true CTV. It confuses clients and directs budgets toward inventory that viewers do not actually recognize as television commercials. When “CTV” starts referring to anything displayed on a connected screen, expectations break down. A pause-screen image or a static console ad, while valuable, does not deliver the same experience as a commercial during a drama or live event. Pause screen ads or in-app video placements certainly have a place in marketing plans, but they shouldn’t be labeled as “CTV.” That distinction matters because it protects the premium context that gives CTV its strength.
Is there a pattern that can be traced back to the same mistakes made in early digital advertising?
The industry has been here before. In the early days of display, unclear standards created a market full of impressions but short on quality. Only after years of demand for transparency, third-party verification, and more precise definitions did display become a channel marketers could trust.
CTV is now at that same crossroads. As budgets shift toward streaming, it’s natural for everyone in the ecosystem to want to prove their value. That ambition is healthy – it drives innovation and progress – but it also creates noise. When every company rushes in to claim a piece of the CTV opportunity, definitions start to blur. Mislabeling display as CTV or selling remnant inventory as premium undermines trust in the market.
In a world where programmatic has made everything look similar, the real differentiator is transparency. Brands deserve clarity on what they’re buying and confidence that their dollars are reaching the right audiences in the right environments. Low prices might seem attractive, but cheap impressions rarely lead to meaningful outcomes. Quality of audience, content, and context will always deliver more in the long run.
The good news is that the industry is learning fast. As education grows and standards strengthen, CTV can fulfill its full potential as a performance channel built on transparency, accountability, and real results.
In a crowded ecosystem, transparency about inventory, i.e., what tier, what content, and what audience, could separate credible vendors from opportunistic ones. Will clarity become the new currency of performance?
Transparency will separate credible vendors from opportunistic ones. In a crowded marketplace, precision in definition is a competitive advantage. Brands and agencies that insist on clarity will make smarter decisions and see stronger outcomes.
Vendors who communicate clearly about what is in the mix—what tier of content, what context, what audience—will earn trust and long-term investment. CTV’s future remains promising if the industry protects the qualities that made it valuable in the first place: premium environments, engaged viewers, and measurable performance. That means alignment on what the channel truly is, and what it is not.
If “CTV” comes to mean everything, it will mean nothing. By setting firm definitions now, the industry can ensure that connected television continues to deliver trust, performance, and real outcomes.
