Decoding CTV Measurement: An In-Depth Look at Reach, Frequency, and ROI

Though connected TV (CTV) has been steadily gaining traction throughout the past few years, the effects of 2020 propelled it to the forefront of every marketing conversation. Emarketer estimates that CTV investments in the U.S. grew by over 40% last year, and our own data revealed that global CTV impressions increased 60% year over year. While the need for CTV advertising is clear, marketers are still struggling to understand this relatively new landscape, especially when it comes to measurement.

To help simplify the intricacies of measurement and unearth the opportunities with CTV, we partnered with the ANA to conduct a groundbreaking study of 20 leading U.S. advertisers across 35 campaigns, measuring 1.7 billion impressions that totaled over $35 million in media expenditure. We set out to understand whether CTV could be a significant driver of reach, whether fragmentation led to unwanted levels of duplication, and whether excessive frequency should be a concern for marketers. We also took on the Herculean task of estimating the true ROI of CTV.

In Decoding CTV Measurement: An In-Depth Look at Reach, Frequency, and ROI, you’ll find the tools you need — including a set of new KPIs — to confidently tackle CTV measurement and further your investment in the biggest screen in the home. 

Key Findings:

• Across our study, the average campaign reached only 13% of the available U.S. CTV households, indicating that we’re only scratching the surface of unique reach. 
• Average frequency was just 4.6 across all campaigns. While high levels of frequency can exist in pockets, frequency is not universally high in CTV.
• The average eCPM of the campaigns in our study was $23, which sits between the average CPM for U.S. primetime TV ads for broadcast and cable ($36 and $19, respectively). 

Download the full report for additional insights and best practices to unlock the mysteries of CTV advertising measurement, and learn more about Innovid Insights, our flagship measurement solution that powered this unprecedented study.