Connected TV (CTV) is now the second fastest-growing advertising medium globally. But with this rapid rise comes a major challenge: ad repetition. It’s one of the most talked-about issues in the industry, yet a consistent solution still feels out of reach.
The problem mostly occurs at the campaign level. Viewers often see the same ad creative multiple times across different streaming platforms, and sometimes even within the same ad break on a single platform. This goes beyond what’s typically acceptable on traditional linear TV and can lead to viewer frustration.
Several factors contribute to this issue, including how media is bought, the fragmented nature of the CTV ecosystem, and limitations in current ad tech. But there are practical ways to tackle it, especially by using smarter planning and leveraging our platform capabilities.
1. Managing Campaign-Level Frequency:
For years, linear TV handled reach and frequency planning well, using scheduling tools across single channels and satellite signals. CTV, however, is far more fragmented.
Ad inventory is spread across SVOD apps (like JioHotstar), OEM platforms (like Samsung), FAST channel apps (like Distro TV), and native apps from content owners. On top of that, inventory is often shared between broadcasters and platforms, making it harder to manage how often ads are shown.
In linear TV, advertisers use Gross Rating Points (GRPs) to plan reach and frequency for specific audience groups (for example, males aged 20 to 30). CTV lacks a unified metric like GRPs due to fragmentation across platforms, media types, and ad tech.
At CTV Scale, we use the best available data signals to estimate reach across platforms and media types on CTV devices. Right now, we’re able to control frequency with 60 to 70 percent accuracy at the planning level. With better data, we believe we can push this to 95 percent.
2. Using Less Inventory Sources:
Most CTV media plans rely on just five inventory sources. Many of these sources have fewer than 35 million monthly active users and often overlap with each other, making the frequency issue more problematic.
A smarter approach is to include more diverse sources, such as FAST channels and native apps. These platforms often have unique audiences and content, reducing overlap and improving targeting.
Our CTV Scale ad exchange is built specifically for CTV media. It helps advertisers reach their target audience more effectively by tapping into a wider range of inventory sources available in India.
3. SSP and DSP Technical Disconnects:
DSPs (Demand-Side Platforms) can technically manage frequency using caps. But unlike other digital media, most CTV inventory isn’t traded in open programmatic auctions. CTV publishers often prefer direct or Programmatic Guaranteed (PG) deals for their premium content. This creates walled gardens between platforms, making it harder to control ad repetition.
To solve this, advertisers should apply frequency caps both on the DSP and at the server level. The buy-side server can control how often a creative is delivered, while the sell-side server enforces the advertiser’s frequency settings.
At CTV Scale, we help marketers manage this by using a household-level view to track ad delivery on devices. We’re also adopting the IAB Tech Lab’s Creative Ad ID Framework, a standard used in linear TV, to track and monitor ad creatives across the fragmented CTV landscape.
The Path Forward:
If advertisers embrace more diverse inventory sources, apply frequency caps on both buy and sell sides, and plan campaigns using data-driven strategies, we can finally solve the ad repetition problem in CTV.
It is time to bring smarter planning and better tech to the fastest-growing media channel in the world.
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