How CTV can benefit all brands, big and small

 

People are flocking to video streaming, or connected TV (CTV), across the Asia-Pacific region, which is forecast to add 167.8 million sub-OTT users between 2023 and 2027 (55% of global users). But how do you reach these audiences?

 

Advertisers are tapping into CTV's advanced targeting to reach specific audiences with tailored ads, moving beyond general consumer engagement. Recognising the value of top-funnel marketing, they are leveraging CTV’s large-format, rich media to evoke emotions and boost brand preference while maintaining precision targeting. This strategy demonstrates impact and drives revenue.

 

In Asia, new advertising video on demand (AVOD) platforms are always springing up, offering a route to communicate brand messages to diverse audiences with a total population of close to 700 million. Advertisers are responding by increasing their ad spend on CTV. According to Pixalate, there was a 43% rise in open programmatic CTV ad spend in APAC in Q1 of 2024, as compared with 2023.

 

Connected TV provides advertisers of all sizes with opportunities to deliver immersive and high-impact advertisements on larger screens with higher completion rates than mobile or desktop ads. It allows for a more innovative, personalised experience, with video content engaging audiences in a relaxed and attentive setting — which is often less feasible in traditional display, social, or search advertising.

 

What can CTV do for your brand?

 

CTV offers significant advantages for building brands and delivering high-quality viewability and attention compared to social media scrolling:

What is the future of CTV in the media mix?

 

Video streaming is here to stay and has become a vital part of the media landscape. In Asia, like other markets, while subscription-driven options such as Netflix loom large, AVOD is exploding in many territories. Consumers look to rein in spending by increasingly discovering and viewing video content on ad-supported platforms.

 

At the same time, the entertainment universe is quickly expanding for consumers. Free ad-supported (FAST) TV channels are exploding in markets such as Australia, while mobile video and app streaming is capturing eyeballs across Asia. Already seven out of ten people in Indonesia have access to CTV. Because of Asia’s high smartphone usage, CTV is a highly effective channel across mobile and smart TVs. Brands can deploy contextual advertising tools to find new audiences and measure the impact of their campaigns across multiple devices.

 

CTV also enables more precise targeting and data. It leverages the same programmatic targeting capabilities as other digital channels, enabling advertisers to better reach the right consumers. These benefits are a great incentive for investing more in CTV, even if it means moving some dollars away from linear television. We expect that the upward trend of putting ad dollars toward CTV will continue.

Liam McCarten is vice president of sales, APAC at StackAdapt. Learn more about CTV with StackAdapt.