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What Is Connected TV (CTV)? How to Advertise Using CTV

If your ads aren't reaching the big screen, and the smaller ones too, you’re missing out on where real viewers are spending their time. Connected TV (CTV) is transforming advertising with its precision, scale, and results.

In this post, we break down:

  • What CTV is and how it works
  • Why it’s a must-have in 2025
  • How to build high-impact CTV campaigns
  • Real examples, tools, and strategic guidance

Let’s help your brand show up where attention lives.


What Is Connected TV Advertising?

Connected TV refers to any TV that connects to the internet to stream content, whether it’s through Smart TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, or gaming consoles. Unlike traditional (linear) television, CTV offers a personalized, on-demand experience, and now, a prime opportunity for brands to run precision-targeted ads with smarter household targeting.

At Next Millennium, our content-driven CTV approach is powered by metadata-driven ad placement. This means ads align with the content being watched, improving engagement and performance. Our technology scans show content and episode details to place ads at the perfect moments ensuring alignment with viewer engagement and making the message an organic part of the experience.



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Premium Audiences

CTV viewers are not passive, they’re lean-in audiences who intentionally stream content in an ad supported environment. CTV lets brands reach these high-value consumers with custom and seamless messaging with smarter targeting.

Massive Reach + Niche Precision

CTV blends scale with hyper-targeting. Reach millions of viewers or segment by interest, behavior, or household data.

Transparent, Actionable Metrics

Track impressions, view-through rates (VTR), conversions, and platform-specific engagement with real-time dashboards. CTV removes the guesswork.

Omnichannel Journey

With cross-device sync, your CTV ads can influence user behavior across mobile, desktop, and social platforms.

Privacy-First + Brand Safe

All CTV placements from Next Millennium are in brand-safe, pre-vetted environments with compliance-ready targeting strategies and fraud protection built-in.


How to Advertise Using CTV

Define Your Ideal Viewer

Even though the cookie phase out is no longer urgent, smart advertisers aren’t waiting around and first-party data is key in 2025. Start by building a smart, first-party data profile. Then layer on contextual signals and DSP audience segments to focus delivery.

Pro Tip: Combine demographic data with content context for more impactful results. The more precise your targeting, the better your return on investment (ROI).

Choose the Right Content Environment

Ads perform best when placed inside relevant, immersive content. Want your ad in a foodie docuseries? Sports highlight show? Metadata ensures your placement makes sense, and performs. This alignment creates more natural brand moments. 

Select Your Media Buying Strategy

  • Open Exchange: Broad reach, less control
  • Private Marketplace (PMP): Premium inventory and curated environments (learn more)
  • Direct Deals: Guaranteed spots and negotiated terms

Next Millennium’s programmatic stack supports all three, optimizing for efficiency, flexibility, and scale.

Track, Analyze & Optimize

Our CTV dashboard helps advertisers monitor metrics like view-through rate (VTR), video completion rate (VCR), frequency caps, CPM, and real-time audience engagement. Smart tracking turns campaign insights into measurable gains.

 


CTV Success Stories

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CTV Pitfalls to Avoid

CTV offers enormous potential, but like any powerful channel, it can underperform if misused. Avoiding these common pitfalls can save your campaign from wasted budget, low engagement, and lost opportunities.

  1. Over-targeting Too Narrowly

    Precision is one of CTVs biggest strengths, however, hyper-specific audience segments can drastically reduce scale and stall your campaign’s performance. Use layered targeting strategies that still offer relevance and reach. 


  2. Ignoring Frequency Caps

    Without proper frequency controls, you risk bombarding viewers with repetitive messaging, leading to ad fatigue and negative brand perception. Optimize exposure levels across platforms.

  3. Running Generic Ads Across Irrelevant Content

    Context still matters. Serving a high-end fashion ad during a gaming livestream? That’s a disconnect. Next Millennium combines metadata-driven placement with premium inventory and high-impact ad formats to ensure your ads appear in brand-aligned, high-quality environments.

  4. Neglecting Cross-Device Optimization

    CTV doesn’t live in isolation. A unified view of CTV + mobile + web ensures you’re not double-serving or missing sequential storytelling opportunities. Our platform uses cross-device sync for seamless user journeys.

  5. Failing to Test Formats

    Interactive and shoppable ad units are growing rapidly. Brands that stick to static or traditional video formats may miss out on performance lift. A/B testing various formats can unlock new performance ceilings.

  6. Measuring the Wrong Metrics

    CTV metrics go beyond impressions. Focus on completion rates, view-through conversions, and lift in brand engagement to gauge true ROI.

CTV Innovation: Interactive & Shoppable Ads

Digiday reports that over 50% of advertisers plan to use interactive or clickable CTV ad formats in 2025. These formats invite viewers to shop, learn more, or sign up, directly from their screen.

Next Millennium supports interactive and shoppable formats designed to improve engagement and drive action.


Why Next Millennium for CTV Advertising?

  • Contextual Intelligence: Metadata-powered ad delivery
  • Premium PMP Inventory: Access to brand-safe, high-quality placements
  • Real-Time Metrics: Campaign tracking, pacing, and optimization dashboards
  • Strategic Support: From concept to execution, we scale your performance and deliver ROI
  • Cross-Platform Activation: Seamlessly extend your campaign from CTV to web, mobile, and social

Final Take: Reach Smarter With CTV. Advertise Better.

CTV is not just a TV play, it’s the most powerful, precise screen in today’s multi-device world. With Next Millennium’s innovative tech and strategic approach, brands can tap into premium placements, drive measurable ROI, and finally connect with audiences that matter.

Whether you're optimizing current campaigns or starting fresh, the right partner makes all the difference.

Reach smarter. Advertise better. Choose Next Millennium.


Denelle Williams
Written by
Denelle Williams

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