April 4, 2025

Ulltimate Guide to CTV DSP Platforms in 2025

Choose the best DSP for CTV and Streaming media

The Ultimate Guide to CTV DSP Platforms in 2025

The CTV DSP landscape is transforming how advertisers reach streaming TV audiences in 2025. Connected TV advertising has evolved from a niche channel to a mainstream advertising powerhouse, with programmatic spending expected to reach $30 billion this year. Specifically designed for streaming environments, demand side platforms now offer unprecedented control over TV ad campaigns.

This comprehensive guide explores how CTV programmatic platforms are revolutionizing media buying across streaming services. Whether you're new to connected TV advertising or looking to optimize your existing campaigns, you'll discover detailed insights about platform selection, implementation strategies, and performance measurement. From technical capabilities to pricing models, we'll examine everything you need to know about choosing and using the right CTV DSP for your advertising goals.

What Makes CTV DSPs Different from Traditional DSPs

CTV DSPs have evolved beyond their traditional digital counterparts to address the unique challenges of streaming television environments. Unlike conventional demand-side platforms that primarily serve web and mobile inventory, CTV DSPs incorporate specialized capabilities designed for the nuances of connected television advertising.

Technical capabilities specific to CTV

The technical infrastructure of CTV DSPs differs fundamentally from traditional platforms. One significant challenge these specialized platforms address is translating metrics between traditional TV and data-driven digital advertising. According to industry surveys, 48% of advertisers struggle with measuring incremental reach across streaming platforms, while 43% find managing ad frequency across platforms particularly difficult ¹.

Advanced CTV DSPs offer distinctive technical features absent in standard DSPs:

Frequency management tools that control ad exposure across networks, channels, and devices - creating what The Trade Desk calls "frequency groups" where various campaigns count toward shared frequency caps ²
Linear TV data integration that extends reach to households not exposed to linear television ads ³
Commitment management systems that track upfront spend commitments across publisher partners ²
Quality measurement metrics that quantify inventory quality in the fragmented CTV landscape ²

In contrast to traditional DSPs that focus on cross-channel placements, CTV DSPs navigate the complexities specific to television streaming environments, including limited interactivity controls like TV remotes and game controllers ⁴.

Audience targeting differences

CTV targeting represents a fundamental shift in television advertising - moving from content-centric to audience-centric approaches. While traditional DSPs and linear TV focus on reaching mass audiences watching the same program simultaneously, CTV DSPs enable advertisers to engage viewers at the household or individual level ⁵.

The targeting capabilities include:

Household-level precision - targeting by zip code or proximity to physical locations ⁶
First-party data utilization - leveraging direct customer data to build look-alike audiences ⁶
Behavioral targeting - using browsing behavior and purchase history ⁷
Cross-device identification - connecting CTV viewing with other device activity ⁷

Furthermore, CTV DSPs can leverage linear TV data through solutions like Audience Accelerator to understand cord-cutters and light TV viewers, then prioritize spend toward these harder-to-reach segments ².

Ad format considerations

The ad format requirements for CTV present distinct challenges from traditional digital advertising. Early adopters discovered that applying standard ad tech to OTT (particularly with live programming) wasn't straightforward ¹.

CTV DSPs must support specialized formats including:

Higher resolution guidelines for 4K and 21:9 widescreen content ⁴
Pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll insertion points for linear video ads ⁴
Interactive formats with limited engagement options like QR codes that create shoppable ads ⁴
Picture-in-picture ad formats (classified as nonlinear ads) ⁴
Companion ads that offer sustained visibility throughout the streaming experience ⁴

Additionally, CTV DSPs must account for technical limitations not present in web environments. At the advent of CTV, common web technologies like HTML and JavaScript weren't typically available, though many streaming services have adapted to support cross-screen campaigns ⁴.

Consequently, specialized CTV DSPs continue to gain traction as the industry addresses these unique requirements, with companies like Comcast's FreeWheel, Adobe's TubeMogul, and The Trade Desk investing heavily in CTV-specific solutions ¹.

Top 5 CTV DSP Platforms Compared

Selecting the right CTV demand-side platform (DSP) requires understanding each platform's unique strengths and limitations. After examining the market leaders, five platforms stand out based on their capabilities, target markets, and cost structures.

Platform features

Xandr Invest (now Microsoft Invest) specializes in connected TV and digital video advertising with extensive reach. Its participating TV networks access 90% of all US households ⁸, making it powerful for nationwide campaigns. The platform offers cross-channel capabilities, advanced analytics for performance improvements, and proprietary technology for monetization.

Amazon DSP leverages the retail giant's rich consumer data ecosystem. Its standout features include exclusive shopping behavior insights, on and off-Amazon advertising capabilities, and retail-aware targeting options. Amazon's platform tracks the full customer journey from ad impression to purchase ⁸, providing closed-loop measurement that few competitors match.

The Trade Desk positions itself as an industry leader with access to one of the largest marketplaces of premium CTV inventory globally. Its platform distinctively uses linear TV data to extend reach to households not yet exposed to traditional television ads ⁹. Moreover, it employs Koa™ AI to prioritize spending toward cord-cutters and light TV viewers.

Yahoo! Ad Tech (formerly Verizon Media DSP) differentiates itself with "Yahoo Identity Solutions," a privacy-centric approach working across addressable and non-addressable inventory. Its "Unified TV" feature connects linear and CTV campaigns seamlessly ⁸, while Yahoo Blueprint AI simplifies buying and performance optimization.

Stackadapt is an upcoming DSP with a multi-channel programmatic advertising platform that allows advertisers to purchase Connected TV (CTV) inventory programmatically, offering access to multiple publishers and platforms through a single interface

Best use cases

Each platform excels in specific scenarios:

Xandr Invest: Ideal for advertisers pursuing advanced TV advertising strategies and comprehensive cross-channel campaigns ⁸
Amazon DSP: Best suited for e-commerce brands and retailers leveraging shopping behavior data ¹⁰
The Trade Desk: Excellent for advertisers wanting to unify ad buys across linear TV and streaming platforms ⁹
Yahoo! Ad Tech: Strong for brands requiring privacy-centric audience targeting solutions
MediaMath: Well-suited for advertisers prioritizing transparency and brand safety ¹⁰

Pricing models

CTV DSP pricing typically follows three main structures:

Share of Media Cost (SoMC): Usually charged at 12-20% of media spend ³, often with volume-based tiers. While straightforward for planning, this model becomes less cost-effective for premium inventory with high CPMs. For instance, with CTV inventory at $30 CPMs, a 15% fee equals $4.50 per thousand impressions ³.
Queries Per Second (QPS): Based on bid request processing volume, offering greater control for technically sophisticated advertisers ³.
Impression Volume: Charges based on filled impressions, economical for high-value inventory. For CTV with $20 CPM, impression-based fees might range from $0.20 to $0.40 CPM ³ instead of percentage-based charges.

Most platforms require minimum monthly spends, with managed-service options from Amazon DSP typically starting at $50,000 ¹¹.

How to Choose the Right CTV DSP

Choosing an appropriate CTV DSP requires balancing multiple factors to ensure alignment with your advertising goals. Since streaming TV platforms continue fragmenting the viewer experience, selecting the right technology partner becomes even more crucial.

Budget considerations

Financial planning ranks as a primary factor when selecting a CTV demand-side platform. CTV inventory typically employs CPM (cost per thousand impressions) pricing, ranging from $20 to over $50 depending on targeting specificity and platform quality. The more refined your targeting parameters—whether by demographics, geography, or viewer behavior—the higher the CPM rates.

When evaluating platforms, understand their pricing structure. Most operate on one of three models:

Share of Media Cost (SoMC): Typically 12-20% of total media spend with volume-based tiers
Queries Per Second (QPS): Based on bid request processing volume
Impression Volume: Fees calculated per filled impression ($0.20-$0.40 CPM)

Most platforms establish minimum monthly spend requirements—Amazon DSP's managed service typically starts at $50,000. Additionally, allocate 10-20% of your total budget for testing platforms, creative variations, and targeting strategies before scaling up successful approaches.

Campaign objectives alignment

Your campaign goals should dictate DSP selection. Different platforms excel at various objectives, from brand awareness to direct response. When evaluating options, clearly define what success looks like for your campaign—whether driving website traffic, app downloads, or in-store purchases.

For campaigns focused on awareness, prioritize platforms with extensive reach across premium content. Nevertheless, performance-driven campaigns benefit from platforms with robust attribution capabilities and cross-device tracking. Amazon DSP, notably, offers robust analytics and reporting that track campaign performance in real-time, providing insights into impressions, click-through rates, and conversions.

Technical integration requirements

Consider how the platform integrates with your existing marketing stack. Platforms offering seamless integration with analytics, CRM, and marketing automation tools streamline workflow and enhance data sharing. Essentially, these integrations amplify campaign impact by aligning CTV efforts with broader marketing initiatives.

When implementing CTV campaigns, three integration approaches exist:

Client-side integration (token generation and refresh on client side)
Server-side integration (token handling completely on server side)
Client-server hybrid approach

The integration choice depends on your technical resources and multi-platform needs—server-side integration often reduces platform-specific efforts when addressing multiple environments (Web/CTV/mobile).

Reporting capabilities

Advanced reporting capabilities distinguish premium CTV DSPs from basic options. Platforms offering comprehensive ad analytics enable measurement of key performance indicators like completion rates, view-through rates, and conversion metrics. Furthermore, cross-device measurement capabilities now allow tracking users who saw CTV ads but converted on other devices.

For holistic campaign insights, select platforms supporting integration with external analytics systems rather than relying solely on platform-provided metrics. This approach prevents reporting bias and offers more complete performance visibility across channels.

Measuring CTV Campaign Success

Evaluating the effectiveness of CTV campaigns requires specialized metrics that bridge traditional TV and digital advertising. Without proper measurement, advertisers risk misallocating budgets and misinterpreting campaign performance across streaming environments.

Key performance indicators

Successful CTV campaign measurement relies on tracking specific metrics tailored to streaming environments:

Reach: The number of unique households or viewers exposed to your ad ¹²
Impressions: Total number of times your ad was displayed ¹³
Viewability: Percentage of impressions viewable for at least 50% of the ad's duration ¹³
Completion rate: Percentage of viewers who watched the entire ad, typically higher in CTV environments ¹⁴
Frequency: Number of times each household sees your ad ¹²
Conversion rate: Percentage of viewers taking desired actions after seeing your ad ¹²
Cost per completed view (CPCV): Average cost paid for each complete ad viewing ¹⁴

Brand lift metrics provide additional insight, with studies showing CTV advertising generates significant improvements in key metrics—25% lift in brand awareness, 20% in purchase intent, and 25% in recall ¹.

Attribution models

CTV attribution connects viewer exposure to measurable outcomes through several methodologies:

First-touch attribution credits the initial advertising touchpoint, ideal for awareness campaigns. Conversely, last-touch attribution assigns value to the final interaction before conversion, though both oversimplify the customer journey. View-through attribution, particularly relevant for CTV, measures website visits and conversions within a specific timeframe after ad exposure ¹⁵.

Multi-touch attribution offers more comprehensive insight by distributing credit across multiple touchpoints. Accordingly, many advertisers combine multiple attribution models simultaneously to gain a complete understanding of campaign impact ¹⁶.

Cross-channel measurement

Today's fragmented viewing habits make cross-channel measurement essential yet challenging. A user might encounter an ad on YouTube, subsequently view it on CTV, and finally convert via smartphone ¹⁷. This complexity increases as multicultural audiences adopt streaming at higher rates than the general market ¹⁸.

The primary challenge remains standardization—traditional TV uses GRPs while digital platforms use impression-based metrics ¹⁷. To address this, advertisers increasingly adopt triangulated approaches combining:

Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) for long-term performance analysis
Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) for granular conversion insights
Incrementality testing to isolate true campaign impact ¹⁷

Brands implementing incrementality testing have seen up to 15% increases in overall ROI by reallocating budgets based on diminishing returns data ¹⁷. Ultimately, effective CTV measurement requires moving beyond isolated metrics toward understanding the entire customer journey across devices and platforms.

Implementation Guide

Launching your first CTV DSP campaign requires methodical planning and execution to maximize performance. With programmatic CTV ad spend projected to reach $24.44 billion in 2024, a 23.1% increase year over year ¹⁹, mastering implementation fundamentals has become essential for advertisers seeking to capitalize on this growing channel.

Setting up your first campaign

Initially, registering with your chosen DSP platform is the first step toward campaign creation. After completing registration, begin configuring campaign details, setting targeting parameters, uploading creative assets, and establishing your budget allocation. Most platforms offer a straightforward workflow through their campaign builder interface. Once your content passes moderation and payment details are settled, your campaign automatically enters the programmatic ecosystem ²⁰. For optimal results, select "optimized" pacing settings and dedicate 10-20% of your initial budget for testing before scaling successful approaches.

Targeting options

Effective CTV targeting serves as the foundation for campaign success, with 63% of marketers citing precise audience targeting as CTV's primary value ²¹. Consider these key targeting approaches:

Demographic targeting - Focus on age, gender, income, education and household size
Geographic targeting - Target by region, state or even specific ZIP codes
Behavioral targeting - Leverage past online activities, web visits and purchase history
First-party data - Utilize email lists or CRM data for existing customer connections
Retargeting - Reengage users who previously visited your website but didn't convert

When implementing targeting, avoid overly narrow segments that limit scale. Finding the ideal balance between precision and reach ensures optimal campaign performance ²¹.

Creative best practices

For maximum impact, develop creative assets specifically designed for the television environment. Thirty-second ads typically generate higher engagement rates for conversion-focused campaigns ⁶. Prioritize ad quality with professional production, as flaws become particularly noticeable on large screens ⁷. Submit multiple creative variants (3+) to prevent viewer fatigue, and include persistent branding throughout your ads ²².

Consider incorporating QR codes for driving second-screen actions, ensuring they remain visible long enough to be scanned from viewing distance ²². To avoid technical issues like buffering or latency, adhere to current IAB Digital Video and VAST 4.x guidelines for optimal streaming performance ²².

Future of CTV DSP Technology

The evolution of CTV DSP technology continues to accelerate, reshaping how advertisers connect with streaming audiences. By 2026, CTV will capture 20% of daily media consumption time for U.S. adults ²³, yet will garner only 8.1% of total ad spend—indicating substantial growth opportunity ahead.

Emerging trends

The rise of free ad-supported television (FAST) represents one of the most significant shifts in the CTV landscape. Industry forecasts predict that by 2030, all major subscription video-on-demand platforms—including Apple TV+, Disney+, and Netflix—will integrate FAST channels to attract subscribers and reduce churn ²⁴. This expansion creates fresh inventory opportunities while maintaining stable ad loads across the ecosystem.

Self-service buying platforms are gaining momentum as an estimated 20,000 new advertisers will launch their first streaming TV campaigns in 2025 ⁴. Simultaneously, programmatic buying continues shifting from guaranteed deals toward biddable private marketplace arrangements, offering advertisers benefits like unified frequency management across households ⁴.

Technology advancements

Artificial intelligence stands at the forefront of CTV DSP innovation, with implementations expanding beyond basic optimization. Current AI applications enable advertisers to generate premium-quality ads from simple text prompts or website content ⁵. Furthermore, AI-driven analytics now provide granular insights into audience behaviors and viewing preferences, allowing for real-time campaign adjustments.

Interactive advertising formats continue evolving, with QR codes, shoppable ads, and SKOverlay formats enhancing viewer engagement ²⁵. These technologies transform passive viewing into active consumer experiences, driving measurable increases in performance—interactive CTV campaigns achieve engagement rates 4.6 times higher than mobile video and 10.3 times higher than desktop video ²⁶.

Regulatory considerations

Privacy regulations increasingly shape the CTV ecosystem's development. With GDPR in Europe and California's Consumer Privacy Act affecting global operations, DSPs must adapt to stringent data protection requirements. These regulations impact how platforms collect, process, and utilize personal data, necessitating greater transparency and accountability ²⁷.

Despite these challenges, CTV offers certain advantages over cookie-dependent channels—83% of advertisers feel confident using CTV to adapt to privacy restrictions ²⁸. As third-party cookies continue phasing out, CTV platforms are prioritizing first-party data strategies and contextual targeting solutions that respect user privacy while maintaining targeting effectiveness ²⁹.

Conclusion

Connected TV advertising through DSP platforms stands poised for remarkable growth through 2025 and beyond. This comprehensive exploration has highlighted several key aspects of CTV DSPs, from their specialized technical capabilities to emerging technological innovations.

Advertisers now benefit from unprecedented targeting precision, with household-level accuracy and cross-device measurement capabilities transforming traditional TV advertising approaches. Platform selection remains crucial, as each major player offers distinct advantages - whether through Amazon's retail insights or The Trade Desk's extensive marketplace reach.

Success in CTV advertising demands careful attention to implementation fundamentals, measurement strategies, and creative best practices. Marketers who master these elements while adapting to privacy regulations and emerging technologies position themselves advantageously in the streaming ecosystem.

Looking ahead, artificial intelligence, interactive formats, and FAST channels promise fresh opportunities for advertisers. These developments, coupled with projected growth in CTV consumption, signal strong potential for brands investing in this channel. Therefore, understanding and utilizing CTV DSP capabilities becomes essential for advertisers aiming to reach modern audiences effectively.