If 2025 was the year advertisers embraced automation, 2026 will be the year they master the big screens: Connected TV (CTV) and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH). These formats have evolved from awareness drivers to performance powerhouses, capturing both attention and measurable results.
Audiences aren’t just watching; they’re engaging like never before. Yet, as agencies and brands pour more of their performance budgets into these channels, many face a common challenge: How do we measure, optimize, and scale across programmatic big-screen environments without losing precision or control?
The answer lies in programmatic transparency, cross-channel data integration, and AI-driven optimization models, forming the trifecta of scalable media success.
According to Digiday, global CTV ad spend is projected to exceed $45 billion by 2026, while DOOH is growing at nearly 14% year-over-year, outpacing most digital formats. The attraction is clear: both environments merge immersive storytelling with data-driven precision.
CTV combines the scale and storytelling power of traditional television with the addressability of programmatic media. Viewers are increasingly shifting to streaming platforms, and advertisers are following, equipped with tools for household-level targeting, real-time optimization, and detailed attribution.
AWS’s cloud infrastructure for AdTech highlights how advertisers are demanding more transparent, scalable solutions for cross-publisher inventory access and data unification across CTV and DOOH environments.
DOOH has moved far beyond billboards. From dynamic mall displays to smart city kiosks, DOOH’s ability to target by audience movement, location, and context has made it a viable performance channel. Integrating DOOH with mobile and retail data now allows brands to connect impressions to outcomes.
Once you’ve captured attention, the next challenge is proving its value. Measurement is the currency of modern advertising. For CTV and DOOH, attribution models must evolve beyond basic impressions to measure incremental reach, engagement, and real-world conversions.
To truly measure impact across big-screen environments, advertisers need to unify their CTV and DOOH identity graphs. A single source of truth for audience behavior enables cross-channel frequency control and accurate attribution.
Next Millennium Media integrates first-party data with real-time contextual targeting, ensuring campaigns reach verified, relevant audiences while maintaining compliance.
Traditional TV relied on gross rating points (GRPs). Modern CTV and DOOH rely on incrementality testing and MTA (multi-touch attribution). This allows marketers to connect the dots between on-screen exposure and in-store or online action.
According to our Cookieless Advertising blog , the evolution of privacy-first data has made incrementality testing the backbone of accurate attribution in the post-cookie era.
With integrated data pipelines, advertisers can link CTV viewership and DOOH exposure to mobile engagement, website visits, and even purchase behavior, unlocking end-to-end visibility across the consumer journey.
Optimization is where the magic happens, where data meets creativity.
AI-driven dynamic CPM bidding lets advertisers optimize spend based on time-of-day, screen size, audience density, and location performance. For instance, an AI algorithm might allocate higher bids during evening streaming peaks or in high-traffic DOOH zones.
Next-generation creative tools now allow brands to adapt creative content in real time. A CTV ad can dynamically change based on viewing context or previous exposure, as well as offer a QR code for instant purchases, to a DOOH campaign, creating seamless omnichannel storytelling.
Read our AI in Programmatic Advertising blog to understand how AI-driven creative and contextual intelligence are shaping the next era of campaign optimization.
By leveraging predictive algorithms and historical campaign data, advertisers can forecast which placements will yield the highest return on ad spend (ROAS) before a single impression is served. Predictive modeling has become essential in guiding media planners through fragmented CTV and DOOH ecosystems.
Big-screen channels don’t just drive awareness; they deliver measurable business outcomes.
CTV and DOOH now sit at the crossroads of brand and performance advertising. By connecting data-driven measurement tools with creative storytelling, brands can move beyond CPMs to measure cost per outcome (CPO) and incremental lift.
Retail media’s integration into the big-screen ecosystem is unlocking massive opportunities for advertisers. CTV ads can now drive real-time shoppable experiences, while DOOH displays can connect with mobile to offer instant purchase paths. Our CTV in 2025 blog shows how interactive and shoppable video formats are paving the way for performance-driven storytelling.
AI isn’t just optimizing spend; it’s also predicting where attention will flow next. With automated inventory forecasting, advertisers can allocate budgets efficiently across high-performing geos and audiences.
As 2026 approaches, CTV and DOOH will continue to merge, forming the next frontier of contextually intelligent, performance-optimized advertising. The winners will be those who:
At Next Millennium, we believe in a future where every impression, whether on a living room screen or a city billboard, is measurable, meaningful, and monetizable.
The convergence of CTV and DOOH represents the next leap in programmatic evolution, one where advertisers can connect digital precision with physical presence. With the right measurement stack, AI-driven optimization, and creative intelligence, big-screen advertising isn’t just about reach anymore; it’s about results.
2026 will belong to advertisers who turn the big screen into their smartest performance channel. Picture your next campaign driving real results, with every impression accountable and optimized.