CTV ads lag as streaming surpasses traditional TV

Streaming has overtaken traditional television viewing in the United States, but advertising on connected TV (CTV) has not kept pace.

A report from TripleLift finds that 49 percent of CTV campaigns still use traditional placements, mainly 15- and 30-second video spots adapted from linear TV.

Dave Helmreich, CEO of TripleLift: "CTV is one of the fastest-growing channels in media, but creatively it's still operating like the three-network era. The industry promised the best of TV and digital. Instead, we recreated traditional commercials in a new pipe."

Streaming dominates but ad formats remain outdated

In May 2025, streaming surpassed cable and broadcast television for the first time in U.S. viewing share, according to Nielsen. Ad-supported streaming now accounts for 74.2 percent of overall TV viewing, and global CTV ad spend is projected to surpass linear TV by 2030, per WARC.

Despite this growth, most brands continue to run traditional TV-style commercials, missing opportunities that CTV enables. Campaigns that integrate high-impact formats—such as pause ads, overlays, and native streaming units—perform significantly better than standard video spots.

Innovative CTV formats drive stronger engagement

TripleLift’s research shows that campaigns using multiple creative formats see a 33 percent increase in brand recall, 11 times higher brand consideration versus benchmarks, and 76 percent higher purchase intent. Consumers also respond positively: 67 percent say innovative CTV ads are more memorable, and 77 percent describe pause ads as informative rather than disruptive.

Infrastructure limits creative adoption

The report highlights that the barrier is not a lack of ideas but fragmented infrastructure. Streaming platforms often offer custom ad formats tailored to their interfaces, but inconsistent specifications make scaling difficult. Many marketers default to traditional creative that can run universally, even if it underperforms.

An executive quoted in the report noted: "Agencies are built to produce 15s and 30s. Creative teams need formats that are easy to deploy across platforms."

TripleLift proposes outcome-driven creative systems

TripleLift positions itself as a Creative SSP, designed to manage formats, audience signals, supply paths, and measurement in one system. Rather than treating creative as static assets, its platform adapts formats across CTV, open internet, and retail media.

Helmreich: "The goal is to move the industry beyond simply delivering impressions. Today's ecosystem optimizes delivery. Our approach is to optimize impact."

Standardization may shape CTV’s future

The report warns that solving the creative infrastructure challenge may require industry-wide collaboration. Past digital ad innovations only scaled after standards emerged, and CTV may be approaching a similar moment. Without scalable, high-performing creative formats, CTV risks replicating traditional TV’s limitations instead of leveraging streaming’s full potential.

The full report can be accessed here

www.triplelift.com

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