OTT + CTV = Streaming TV

By John Davis
Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 2.09 p.m.

Cable, satellite, and on-air TV commercials just don’t have the power to increase awareness and consideration like they used to because people don’t watch much TV like that anymore. That’s one reason Internet-connected TV advertisers are shifting more spending from broadcast and cable TV to streaming TV this year.

Our streaming TV advertising delivers your video commercials to your customers whenever they turn on their Smart TVs, ROKUs, Apple TV devices, Chromecast dongles, Amazon Fire, or other streaming devices. In the U.S., 80% of adults now stream video content via their TV or other digital devices.

What Is Connected TV?
CTV (Connected TV) refers to television sets that are connected to the internet and can access online content through streaming services. When we support your streaming TV campaigns, we prefer to reach people watching streaming-enabled smart TVs from manufacturers like LG, Samsung, Telly, or Vizio.

Over-the-Top (OTT) TV Bypasses Traditional TV Connections
OTT (Over-The-Top) refers to the delivery of audio, video, and other media over the internet in a way that bypasses broadcast, cable, or satellite. OTT campaigns can include connected TV (CTV) usage but is often meant to describe streaming video enabled by external devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers, or specialized hardware such as:

• Amazon Fire devices
• Apple TV devices
• DVD and Blu-Ray players
• Gaming consoles like Microsoft XBOX, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.
• Google Chromecast
• Roku
• TiVo devices

Which Streaming Services Carry Ads?

A few years ago, streaming services were either free and supported by advertising (AVOD - Ad-based Video On Demand) like Sony’s Crackle app or paid (SVOD - Subscription Video on Demand) like Netflix.

Today, an increasing number of SVOD services are off-setting some of their content costs by accepting advertising. Below is a list of some of the most popular streaming services that carry advertising.

What is Linear TV?

Usually, Linear TV is the term used to describe how people used to watch cable, satellite, or broadcasting TV. TV watching was not on-demand. It was linear. The broadcaster or cable provider showed programming according to their own schedule. Today, you might also hear people talk about the linear interface available on streaming platforms like PlutoTV. In this context, people are describing how the service schedules programs to stream at times they choose, even if users can choose to watch programs on demand using the same service.

Targeting Options for Streaming TV

By leveraging cross-device targeting, any tactic you wish to execute in your digital campaign can include streaming TV. So if you want to target prospects who carry a smartphone to a competitors’ location, we can deliver your advertising to their smart TV or other streaming TV device. Similarly, if your prospects visited your website without completing your form or becoming a customer, we can target their streaming TV devices to keep your message top of mind.

Best Practices for Streaming TV Advertising

In our experience, you can optimize the effectiveness and engagement with your campaigns by considering these tactics.

• Use a mix of 15- and 30-second TV commercials in your campaign to deliver your message and remind prospects about it. Yes, we can place commercials longer than 30 seconds. However, commercials longer than 60 seconds may not be welcomed by your prospects. After repeated exposures, these commercials may be considered intrusive or annoying for people watching TV.
• Use a narrator or voiceover to call your prospects attention back to the TV screen. Silent videos or commercials with only music can easily be ignored altogether.
• Have a clear call to action on screen and as audio. Tell people to call you, visit your website, come to your location, search for you online, add an event to their calendar, etc. Your call to action will prompt your audience to make a choice as to whether your message is relevant to them.
• Adapt your existing TV commercial for streaming TV. We can frame your video as an inset along with more timely or seasonal information about your hours or offers. On some platforms, prospects can engage with your ad to initiate a website visit, etc.

About Cable TV, Satellite TV, Broadcasting, Over-the-Air (OTA) TV Advertising in 2024

Can we get your TV commercials on broadcast and cable TV? Yes. But we would typically recommend this when you need total market coverage or you were already maximizing your reach via streaming TV platforms. Do you need to reach elderly viewers or lower household income audiences? If so, broadcast TV might be a good fit for your campaign.

Infographic Source: Adtaxi’s 2024 Streaming TV Survey