Advertiser’s Guide to the CTV Landscape
The way people watch television has fundamentally changed, and advertisers who understand the connected TV landscape will capture attention where it matters most: the living room screen. For food, beverage, and CPG brands, this shift creates an opportunity to reach grocery buyers during their most receptive moments.
What Is CTV and How Is the Landscape Changing?
Connected TV (CTV) refers to television content delivered through internet-connected devices, including smart TVs, streaming devices, gaming consoles, and apps. Instead of relying on traditional broadcast or cable, viewers access content on demand through streaming platforms, giving them greater control over what, when, and how they watch.
The CTV landscape has evolved rapidly in recent years. Audiences are shifting away from linear TV toward streaming environments, leading to increased fragmentation across platforms and devices. At the same time, advertisers are following this shift, investing more in CTV to reach viewers in high-quality, large-screen environments.
This change has also introduced new opportunities and challenges. On one hand, CTV allows for more precise audience targeting, better measurement, and programmatic buying. On the other hand, it requires advertisers to navigate multiple platforms, varying inventory quality, and evolving standards for measurement and attribution.
As a result, CTV is no longer just an extension of digital advertising or traditional TV. It has become a distinct and increasingly important channel, with its own dynamics, pricing models, and strategic role within modern media planning.
Monetization Models Shape the Landscape
The CTV landscape is also shaped by how content is funded, with a growing shift toward ad-supported models.
While subscription-based streaming services traditionally limited advertising opportunities, many platforms are now introducing ad-supported tiers or hybrid models. This shift is expanding the amount of available inventory and creating more opportunities for advertisers to reach audiences in premium, large-screen environments.
At the same time, free ad-supported streaming channels (often referred to as FAST) are gaining traction, offering continuous content supported entirely by advertising. These models are contributing to a broader increase in accessible CTV inventory.
As a result, ad spend is steadily moving from traditional linear TV into streaming. Although major live events can temporarily support linear viewership, the long-term trend points to continued growth in CTV as a core channel for advertisers.
The Key Shifts Defining Today’s CTV Landscape
To plan an effective CTV strategy, advertisers must understand four major trends reshaping how audiences consume video and how brands can reach them.
Streaming Fragmentation: Viewers now juggle multiple streaming services, often subscribing to five or more platforms. This lowers ad loads per individual platforms while maintaining overall CTV viewership. Content discovery struggles mean consumers spend significant time searching across apps before settling on what to watch.
Subscription Fatigue: “Churn and return” behavior has become increasingly common, particularly among younger audiences. Viewers frequently cancel and restart subscriptions based on content availability and cost, reflecting a more selective and budget-conscious approach to streaming. For advertisers, this means audience availability can shift more frequently over time.
Rise of Ad-Supported Options: Ad-supported streaming is expanding rapidly. A growing share of viewers now engage with free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels, while major streaming platforms have introduced lower-cost, ad-supported tiers. This shift is significantly increasing available inventory and creating more opportunities to reach audiences in premium content environments.
Converged TV Measurement: Audiences now move seamlessly between linear TV, CTV, and digital devices. However, many advertisers still lack a unified view of performance across these channels. This fragmentation in measurement creates challenges, but also opens the door for more advanced strategies that connect reach, frequency, and outcomes across the full video ecosystem.
Why CTV Matters for Food, Beverage, and CPG Brands
Connected TV (CTV) has become an increasingly important channel for food, beverage, and CPG brands because it combines the scale of television with the precision of digital advertising.
One of the biggest advantages is the ability to reach high-intent audiences in a premium, brand-safe environment. CTV allows brands to connect with households during moments of attention, such as meal planning, entertainment, or family viewing, where messaging can have a stronger impact and recall.
It also supports more advanced audience targeting compared to traditional TV. Brands can reach specific segments based on shopping behavior, lifestyle signals, and content preferences, making campaigns more relevant and efficient.
For CPG advertisers in particular, this is valuable when launching new products, driving awareness, or reinforcing brand positioning at scale. CTV enables storytelling through high-quality video while still allowing for data-driven optimization and measurement.
In addition, CTV plays an important role across the full funnel. It can build awareness at the top, influence consideration in the middle, and support retargeting strategies when combined with other digital channels.
As consumer viewing continues to shift toward streaming, CTV is becoming a core part of modern media plans for food, beverage, and CPG brands looking to balance reach, engagement, and measurable outcomes.
Planning CTV Strategy Starts with Objectives
An effective CTV strategy begins with a clear understanding of what the campaign is trying to achieve. Without defined objectives, it becomes difficult to evaluate performance, allocate budget effectively, or choose the right mix of inventory and formats.
Different goals will shape how CTV is used within a media plan. For example, an awareness campaign may prioritize broad reach and high-impact placements to maximize visibility, while a consideration-focused campaign may lean toward more targeted audiences and frequency control. Conversion-driven campaigns, on the other hand, may focus on retargeting or sequential messaging to move users closer to action.
Objectives also influence key decisions such as platform selection, audience strategy, creative approach, and measurement framework. A campaign designed to build brand recognition will be planned very differently from one focused on driving measurable outcomes.
Starting with clear objectives ensures that CTV is not treated as a standalone channel, but as part of a broader strategy. When aligned with specific goals, it becomes easier to determine whether the investment is delivering meaningful results and contributing to overall campaign performance.
Buying CTV Media: Platforms, Models, and Tactics
Advertisers can access CTV inventory through programmatic buying via major DSPs such as The Trade Desk, DV360, Amazon DSP, and StackAdapt, or through managed services that provide curated access to premium supply and ongoing optimization.
In practice, CTV buying typically combines multiple approaches depending on campaign goals:
- CPM-guaranteed deals for predictable pricing and consistent quality
- Private marketplaces (PMPs) for access to curated, premium inventory
- Open exchange for broader reach and cost efficiency
Different environments also play different roles. Ad-supported streaming (AVOD) often provides premium content adjacency and stronger brand-building opportunities, while FAST platforms can deliver more cost-efficient reach for awareness campaigns.
From a targeting perspective, advertisers can take either an audience-first or content-first approach. Audience-first strategies focus on reaching specific households across devices, while content-first strategies align messaging with relevant environments such as cooking, family entertainment, or live sports.
For food and CPG brands, layering contextual signals, such as recipe type, cuisine, meal occasions, or dietary preferences, can further improve relevance beyond standard demographic targeting.
Execution also matters. Managing frequency at the household level helps reduce waste, while combining CTV with display, native, and online video supports a more cohesive, full-funnel strategy.
Creative Matters More Than Ever in CTV
CTV ads feel like television but play in interactive, on-demand streaming contexts. Creative must capture attention quickly with strong branding in the first few seconds.
Ideal ad lengths include 15-second and 30-second spots, with occasional 6-second bumpers. Align length with objectives: 30 seconds for brand storytelling, 15 seconds for product features or promotions.
For food and beverage brands specifically:
- Showcase appetizing product visuals with preparation close-ups
- Feature real-life contexts like weeknight dinners, brunches, or game-day gatherings
- Integrate retailer cues subtly (“Available at major supermarkets and Amazon”)
- Ensure a clear voiceover stating the brand and product name
- Use readable supers for offers or ingredients
The message should work even when viewers briefly glance away from the screen. Audio carries significant weight in CTV environments where attention fluctuates.
Measuring CTV Performance Goes Beyond Impressions
While impressions and reach are important starting points, they only show how many people had the opportunity to see an ad, not what impact it actually delivered. To understand the true value of CTV, advertisers need to look beyond surface-level metrics.
CTV enables more advanced measurement than traditional TV, including metrics such as completion rates, viewability, and frequency at the household level. These indicators help assess not just delivery, but how audiences are engaging with the content.
More importantly, performance should be evaluated in terms of outcomes. This can include site visits, product consideration, brand lift, and, where possible, sales impact. By connecting exposure to real actions, advertisers can better understand how CTV contributes to overall campaign performance.
Cross-channel measurement is also becoming increasingly important. Since viewers move between CTV, mobile, and desktop, evaluating performance across the full media mix provides a clearer picture of how different channels work together.
Ultimately, effective CTV measurement is about moving beyond impressions to understand attention, engagement, and results, helping advertisers make more informed decisions and optimize campaigns over time.
How Gourmet Ads Helps You Navigate the CTV Landscape
Navigating the CTV landscape requires more than just access to inventory. It involves understanding where audiences are spending time, how different environments perform, and how to connect strategy, targeting, and measurement into a cohesive plan.
Gourmet Ads brings this together by combining programmatic expertise with a deep understanding of food, beverage, and CPG audiences. Through access to premium CTV inventory and curated supply, campaigns are built with a focus on quality environments and relevant audience reach.
Audience strategy is a key part of this approach. By leveraging data signals and contextual alignment, campaigns are designed to reach consumers in moments that matter, whether that’s during meal planning, content consumption, or lifestyle-driven viewing.
Execution is supported by ongoing optimization, ensuring campaigns adapt to performance signals across formats, platforms, and markets. This includes managing frequency, refining targeting, and aligning creative with the right environments.
Measurement also plays a central role. Rather than focusing only on impressions, campaigns are evaluated based on engagement, audience quality, and broader performance outcomes, helping advertisers understand how CTV contributes to overall results.
By combining strategic planning, premium inventory access, and continuous optimization, Gourmet Ads helps brands navigate the complexity of CTV and turn it into a channel that delivers meaningful impact.
Navigating the CTV Landscape Requires a Strategic Approach
The CTV landscape continues to evolve, shaped by shifting viewing habits, platform fragmentation, and the rapid growth of ad-supported streaming. For advertisers, this creates both complexity and opportunity.
Success in CTV is no longer just about accessing inventory or extending reach. It requires a clear understanding of how different platforms, formats, and buying models fit within a broader media strategy. From audience targeting and content alignment to measurement and optimization, each element plays a role in overall performance.
Rather than treating CTV as a standalone channel, advertisers should approach it as part of a connected ecosystem. Integrating CTV with other digital channels, aligning campaigns with clear objectives, and focusing on meaningful outcomes will lead to more effective results.
As the space continues to mature, those who focus on context, quality, and strategy, rather than isolated metrics, will be better positioned to unlock the full value of CTV.
