Welcome! You’ve found the definitive North Star to simplify all things CTV.
To make sense of the madness, let’s begin by going back in time by a couple of years. The term Cord Cutting, or phrased as a group of people, Cord Cutters, started to pick up steam and make its way into mainstream society. Thanks to the internet and a large number technological advancements, the Cord Cutter revolutionists set out to disrupt not just media consumption, but the entire media industry as we knew it.
To keep things simple, Cord Cutting refers to the act of consumers canceling their cable subscriptions with legacy cable providers, in favor of consuming content on internet connected devices via streaming content services. The main goal of Cord Cutting was to save money - this younger generation had no interest in the limited content options and long contracts that high-priced cable companies offered.
With that context in mind, let’s fast forward to the present day. The initial Cord Cutting term has morphed into a confusing, complex and highly fragmented ecosystem with many players competing for the prize - Consumer Eyeballs and Advertiser Dollars. Until now. Sit back, relax and allow us to explain the industry through the lens of Performance CTV.
Connected TV, or abbreviated as CTV, is the overarching term we use to describe the entire ecosystem or landscape. The reason is simple: In the very beginning there was the Television, or TV, consisting of a screen and a power cord. Today, in nearly every household exists the same device (albeit more advanced), a TV, consisting of a screen and a power cord.
The TV as a core device remains constant. The major difference between past and present is that the TV now has an internet connection. Hence, CTV - a TV with an internet connection.
Let’s now take a deeper dive into three main categories that make up the CTV ecosystem.
Very straightforward. This includes the following devices:
• TVs
• Mobile Phones
• Tablets
• Desktops
• Laptops
For clarity, it’s well understood by us that mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktops are not TVs. Don’t let this wrinkle confuse you. Rather, think of these additional devices as extensions of the TV to assist with reach. Once again, CTV dually functions as the term to describe the entire landscape.
Streaming devices are additional hardware components such as sticks, boxes and gaming consoles that facilitate the delivery of streaming video content on TVs via the internet. This includes devices such as:
• Roku Streaming Stick
• Roku Ultra
• Amazon Fire TV Stick
• Chromecast
• Apple TV
• Gaming Consoles
Now that we’ve identified the hardware that makes up Connected TV, let’s take a look at the Streaming services.
For no good reason other than to confuse, Streaming is also referred to as Over The Top, or OTT. At Performance CTV we don’t like the term OTT, so we’ll use Streaming moving forward.
The Streaming side of things is pretty straightforward. The streaming content is delivered to the TV via the internet connection, either directly to the TV or via a streaming device. Here is a list of some popular Streaming providers today:
• Hulu
• Youtube TV
• Netflix
• Amazon Prime Video
• fuboTV
• Sling
• Disney+
• Crunchyroll
• Peacock
• HBO Max
• Paramount+
•Tubi
• Discovery+
• ESPN+
*Disclaimer - we are well aware and understand that some streaming services don’t currently have ad supported subscriptions (ie Netflix). We are also aware that this list is not comprehensive.
Admittedly, there is plenty of nuance to take into account when considering launching a Connected TV campaign. However, if upon reading this article, you agree that CTV should be the mass adopted term, then our goal has been accomplished.
If you’ve made it this far, the chances are high that you may be interested in learning more about our CTV capabilities. If you do have any additional questions, or want to discuss the specifics of what a potential CTV campaign would look like for you, feel free to get in touch with us here. We’d be happy to hear from you.