Introduction
CTV is one of the fastest-growing ad channels right now: it’s engaging, has a high adoption rate, and allows for rich targeting options. Plus, there are more self-serve options than ever. If you’re a Small-to-Medium Business (SMB), there’s never been a better time to explore CTV. But you may be wondering: how can I buy premium CTV, and what is the most accessible way to do so?
In this article, we’re going to cover how and where to buy premium CTV with a self-serve platform, including:
- Why should I purchase CTV Inventory?
- What is Premium CTV?
- Where do I buy Self-Serve, Premium CTV?
- Future Trends in CTV
- Conclusion
Why should I purchase CTV Inventory?
Great question. First, a story. (You can skip my highly engaging intro here if you’re just here for the good stuff. And if you hate me, I guess.)
Did you watch season 3 of The White Lotus? If you’re anything like me, you were:
A) glued to the screen in horror the entire time, and
B) watching with a FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming Television) subscription to HBO Max, because you didn’t want to shell out more for an account without ads (and you had to purchase your own account this year, because you were removed from your ex’s mom’s friend’s daughter’s login—ugh.)
If you’re watching White Lotus, or Severance, or one of the other shows that everyone was talking about this season on a streaming service, you’re not alone. 88% of American households own at least one CTV device, including 110 million among Gen Z and Millennials.
CTV adoption continues to skyrocket
This high penetration rate is one of the reasons that CTV is appealing to advertisers, which shows in the $28.79 billion spend on CTV in 2024. CTV plays particularly well with programmatic advertising, due to the amount of data that can be utilized in targeting, and the ability to optimize during the campaign rather than react afterward. In fact, 75% of CTV placements are purchased programmatically. Additionally, more and more streaming services are adding Free Ad Supported Television Channels (FAST) account options, with lower-cost subscription options that serve ads during shows, giving advertisers even more of a reason to jump onboard.
Well, that’s all well and good, but if you’re wanting to start with CTV, where do you start?
Self Serve DSPs seem like a good option that can provide flexibility, control, and transparency when running your campaigns, but they can also add costs and present a learning curve if you don’t have a dedicated programmatic media buying team.
Additionally, as we’ll cover, the ecosystem is fragmented and running multiple campaigns can be tricky. But don’t worry: where there are problems, there are solutions.
What is Premium CTV?
There are several tiers of CTV inventory, including Premium CTV, and Nonpremium CTV.
Premium CTV inventory is sold by well-known publishers that provide ad-supported services, like Hulu, Disney+, or Max. This inventory generally comes at a higher price point.
Non-premium inventory appears along niche content or less well-known publishers.
A highly important consideration, and what might be a detractor, from brands purchasing programmatic CTV is the lack of control for brand safety in inventory options.
With some types of programmatic buying (like real-time bidding), available inventory includes a wide range of channels, including content that advertisers may not want to be shown next to. This is sometimes where nonpremium CTV appears.
However, in addition to the walled gardens of premium CTV providers, with the rise of Private Marketplaces (PMPs) and Programmatic Guaranteed (PG), brands can feel secure that their placements will be quality, while still gaining the benefits of buying programmatic like campaign automation, extensive targeting options, and live analytics.
Benefits of CTV Ads
Video ads are emotionally compelling, especially when the creative is on point and incorporates emotion, humor, or speaks well to its target audience.
It’s almost impossible to skip an ad on a CTV device. Ads that appear on a large TV in a living room are attention-grabbing by nature, and they have high viewability rates. New, interactive formats of CTV ads are constantly appearing, like QR codes that people can scan to visit a webpage, or interactive ads that let you choose your experience.
People like, or at least accept, the option to pay less money for a streaming service in exchange for an ad-supported experience.
CTV provides a ton of targeting and attribution options, leading to better results because ads are more likely to resonate with their audience. There is also the ability to control ad frequency, or the amount of times an ad is served to a household.
Where do I buy Self-Serve, Premium CTV?
There are a few places you can buy premium CTV:
Self-Serve DSPs
A self-serve DSP is a programmatic ad platform that automatically purchases ad inventory through a powerful algorithm that pairs available inventory with the best viewer possible, based on targeting and budget.
These platforms have the ability to run multiple types of ad formats and campaigns at once. So if you want to streamline your performance and visibility across the open web, this is a great option for you.
Historically, these platforms have been used only by the largest corporations, because they have high minimum spends and require a lot of training to use. However, as programmatic has become more and more common throughout the industry, some adtech companies (such as The Trade Desk and StackAdapt) are releasing their own self-serve platforms that allow brands to use the software themselves; so if your company has a media buyer, they could go into the DSP and run a campaign without an intermediary party.
If you don’t have a media buyer, you might want to consider working with an agency partner to gain access to a self-service platform. They are complex, technical tools with a learning curve, and you could find yourself subject to hidden fees without training. Plus, working with an outside agency like Version2 that provides support can reduce onboarding time and remove high minimum spends.
CTV and OTT Programmatic Platforms
Wanting to capitalize on the programmatic dollars, some CTV providers like Paramount and Disney, have launched their own self-serve programmatic platforms. Eight out of the top 10 streaming services have launched their own adtech platforms—quite a significant development! Some OTT devices like Roku have created self-serve platforms as well.
While these platforms tend to be pretty user friendly, the more negative impact is that all this development has created more and more walled gardens and complexity. The problem that they were trying to solve—accessibility—has looped back around into another walled garden situation, which is by nature less transparent. You’re not able to reach everyone in your network, or gain a more complete data picture of who is resonating with your ads.
Self-Serve vs Managed Serve
A self-serve DSP is an adtech platform that advertisers and agencies can access themselves, without any third parties or support. However, this marketplace is now quite an extensive, and confusing, ecosystem. Many self-serve platforms provide CTV inventory; not all of them provide premium CTV inventory.
If you’re a SMB wanting to start with programmatic, you can either:
- Start with self-serve in-house (however, as we covered, this can take a long time and come with hidden feeds)
- Try managed service: Even though self-serve can seem like a better option cost-wise, most DSPs will charge for training, and you can pick a partner that will give you transparency and control. The cost may even be lower, and you can get better results with the expertise of a guide.
The solution to fragmentation and complexity
Working with an agency like Version2 can be the best of both worlds. You get hands-on access to self-serve platforms, so you can have total control and transparency in results. You can get access to Premium inventory and in some cases, select the ad networks where you want to run. And there’s no minimum spend or training costs.
If you want, you can even switch your engagement to something more hands off like a white-glove managed service, so you benefit from adtech expertise without having to take on training and software costs.
Future Trends in CTV
Expanding ecosystems
We predict that the CTV ecosystem will become even more fragmented, as other companies capitalize on the CTV rush from their own system of data.
Advertisers with a limited budget can either:
- Pick a self-serve platform from a CTV or OTT provider to invest in (if they know their audience and where they are watching)
- Work with a self-serve DSP to purchase CTV inventory
- Find an agency to work with, which could provide varied CTV inventory
Innovative ad formats
More ad formats are being developed, including QR scan for more information, ads that appear when the show is paused, and even in-show shopping. Most of these formats are currently purchased direct. As they become more common, it’s possible, and probable, that they’ll be able to be purchased programmatically.
AI-run campaigns
While we don’t think using AI is a good replacement for human-driven creative, the massive amounts of data within DSPs makes AI plausible for suggesting and running effective campaign strategies, including audience, location, keywords, and tactics. AI is already in use within the programmatic industry, but it will certainly become more advanced over time, and help with tasks that require synthesizing large amounts of data and making predictions.
Conclusion
To recap, you can buy self serve through:
- A dedicated self-service platform (on which you could buy other ad formats on as well)
- Directly from a CTV provider
- From an OTT device
- Through an agency
Self-service can especially benefit SMBs, who have historically been underserved in the programmatic market.
Buying CTV is becoming much easier in some ways, but a bit more confusing in others. There are many providers that offer inventory, including:
- DSPs that offer more functionality than just CTV
- adtech platforms built by CTV and OTT provider
- agencies that will purchase inventory on your behalf
- Or direct deals, for newer ad formats
If you want to buy premium inventory, make sure the DSP offers the streaming service you want to buy on. Otherwise, you can go to the CTV provider directly. Or, you can work with an agency that can guide you to the best option for your goals and budget.
Want to explore your options? Reach out to our team—let’s see how Version2 can help you foray into or optimize your premium CTV strategy, with no minimum spend and transparent results, always. Let’s explore the universe of CTV together!
