7 barriers advertisers need to overcome to grow CTV

Connected TV has the broad reach for brand building and the targeting capabilities for performance marketing, but advertisers are holding back for various reasons. 

That’s according to Samsung Ads’ Q1 2025 “Ahead of the Curve” report (registration required). 

Despite consumers shifting to streaming, the report found advertisers’ mindset, over-targeting and measurement fragmentation are causing them to underinvest in CTV.

The report has seven suggestions, in particular, for advertisers and the industry.

How advertisers and platforms should re-think CTV

1. Adopt a full-funnel perspective

The report suggests advertisers should recognize CTV’s potential as a lower- and upper-funnel medium. CTV’s targeting, context and measurement capabilities make it a strong medium for delivering efficient, broad-reach brand messages.

2. Balance performance and growth

The report emphasizes brands should not sacrifice long-term brand building for short-term KPIs. Effective media plans should reach a broad audience, including those not committed to a product, to drive sustainable growth.

3. Broaden targeting

Instead of hyper-targeted campaigns, the report suggests advertisers should leverage CTV’s targeting capabilities to right-size the reach of their branding messages to “category non-rejectors.” 

By reducing wasted ad spend on out-of-target consumers, budgets can be reallocated to ensure effective frequency to in-category segments. Broadening targets can improve reach, long-term growth and lower media costs.

Dig deeper: 2025 is the year for B2B brands to embrace CTV

4. Improve measurement

The report identifies the industry’s need to develop metrics and buying mechanisms that allow for holistic planning and measurement.

This includes addressing the fragmentation of measurement across different media companies and creating a cross-publisher database for CTV that can be connected to linear TV measurement for cross-platform reach and frequency planning and optimization. CMOs need to scrutinize MMM models, the report said, to ensure they accurately reflect CTV’s value and cross-platform impact.

5. View CTV as a reach medium

Advertisers need to take a broader view of CTV’s digital capabilities, which offer advertisers the tools marketers need to build effective media plans, the report said.

6. Consider audience

The report recommends media plans should start with the audience in mind.

7. Focus on partnerships

Successful platform partnerships drive campaign results and innovation. Brands should ask their platform partners questions about cross-platform reach measurement, targeting across multiple devices, audience segment optimization, and using first-party data while maintaining privacy compliance.

Dig deeper: CTV ads beat mobile and desktop for viewer attention