What is Connected TV (CTV): A Guide for Enterprises
Technology changes and evolves, but so far, the trend for most people’s viewing habits is only going one direction: up. In fact, according to GroupM, CTV represents “where all the growth is coming from” in TV, with projected revenue growth of 13.8% in 2024.
Even though people don’t gather around the radio or even watch traditional broadcast television as much as they used to, they’re still interested in consuming engaging, entertaining, or informative content. These days, people access their favorite content over the internet.
That’s why it’s important to be mindful of connected TV as a way to distribute your business’s video content and reach your audience where they are. In this post, we’re going to dive into what connected TV (CTV) actually is, as well as how you tap into this key channel for your enterprise video content.
Table of Contents
- What is Connected TV?
- Why CTV?
- 3 Best Types of Content for CTV
- 3 Ways to Leverage CTV
- Choosing the Right Online Video Platform for CTV
What is Connected TV?
Connected TV (or CTV) is a method for televisions to display content by connecting to the internet. This includes smart TVs that may come with installed or downloadable internet applications, or traditional (i.e. “dumb”) TVs that use external hardware to connect to the web, such as Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, or a gaming console like Xbox or PlayStation.
CTV is a versatile way for users to access online video content on-demand or through live streams. Rather than a more traditional linear viewing experience that’s based on a schedule, CTV allows users to control what they watch and when they watch it.
Why CTV?
So, why should a business care about CTV? There are several key reasons why CTV is an essential opportunity for your brand:
- Expanded reach - You can reach all sorts of potential viewers or customers who have moved away from traditional television. Many so-called “cord cutters” skew younger, so this can be a highly valuable demographic to get in front of.
- Personalized targeting - CTV features advanced audience targeting options that you won’t get with traditional TV. You can deliver both content and ads with a more tailored approach, boosting engagement and ROI.
- Efficient distribution - You can get your message out 24/7, rather than clamoring for a specific time slot on a traditional television channel. In addition, you have more flexibility in how much you invest into CTV.
Clearly, CTV is a powerful way for your enterprise to connect with your audience, whether you’re primarily a media company or you’re using video to educate consumers and grow your sales. It’s also equally helpful for a B2B brand or a D2C company, because so many audiences are turning to CTV to find and consume content.
CTV vs OTT
Before we dive further into CTV and how to take advantage of it, we should briefly touch on the difference between connected TV and over-the-top (OTT) delivery methods.
OTT refers to the delivery of video content through the internet in general, bypassing conventional TV broadcast channels like cable or satellite. With OTT, it’s possible for consumers to access the online content they want on a device of their choice, including a smartphone, tablet, computer, or smart TV/connected TV.
Think of CTV as a specific subcategory of OTT. As we’ve already mentioned, CTV refers to a method for televisions to connect to the internet and access on-demand or live stream content. With that said, CTV is focused on delivering a “TV-like” experience, either with linear (live) content or nonlinear (on-demand) content.
3 Best Types of Content for CTV
So, now that we’ve defined CTV, let’s talk about the type of business content that works best with CTV and can boost your business’s bottom line.
1) Branded content
With CTV, you have an uninterrupted channel between your business and your ideal audience to talk about your brand.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity to create high-quality branded content focused on the company messaging you want to get out there, including everything from customer testimonials and brand documentaries to product profiles and behind-the-scenes footage.
2) Informational videos
Almost everyone loves to learn. Informational content related to your brand, product offering, or industry can establish you as an authority and bring valuable prospects and customers into your brand’s orbit.
These educational videos can be explainer videos, tutorials, interviews, and more.
3) Live streams
Do you have a product launch or a killer new feature you want to showcase? Does your CEO want to share a keynote presentation on where the industry is headed? How about holding a Q&A where your audience can interact with your brand in real time? There are countless use cases for a live stream on CTV.
There are all kinds of content you can produce for CTV, including both on-demand and live video. However, keep in mind that your content will be available alongside the broadcast-quality professional video there is, so you’ll need to invest in professional video production to take full advantage of CTV.
3 Ways to Leverage CTV
Here are a few smart ways to leverage CTV for your brand.
1) Create a Smart TV App
One of the best ways to take advantage of CTV is developing your own smart TV app that can live on popular platforms. Anyone who downloads your smart TV app is a lot more likely to engage with your brand and your video content on a regular basis via CTV.
Obviously, the more CTV platforms you can be on, the better! Find out more about creating a smart TV app for your enterprise.
2) Integrate Ads
There are many types of ads you can use to monetize your content. On sites like YouTube, consumers are most likely to see pre-roll or mid-roll ads that play before or in the middle of a video.
But with CTV, interactive ads are more common. These feature interactive elements like buttons, forms, links, or QR codes that invite the consumer to engage with the advertiser. You may or may not choose to place ads on your CTV video content, but if you do want to monetize with advertising, we recommend exploring these interesting new ad types and even looking at personalized ads based on viewers’ interests and preferences.
And of course, it’s important to keep your own goals in mind when it comes to ads. Overloading your videos with ads is a surefire way to turn off viewers – if your goal is brand awareness or high engagement, you may minimize ads in favor of other strategies for revenue growth.
3) Shoppable TV
Another popular trend you should consider tapping into is the interactive or shoppable TV trend. It’s getting a lot easier for viewers to make purchases right from the content they’re watching. This can be subtle, like a small popup of the sunglasses that Tom Cruise is wearing, or something closer to an infomercial pitch.
The important thing is, CTV opens up a lot of incredible revenue streams and monetization opportunities that your business can take advantage of with the right video content strategy. Whether you’re primarily thinking of CTV as a marketing channel or as a profit center in its own right, the possibilities are practically endless.
Choosing the Right Online Video Platform for CTV
Underlying any CTV endeavor is a quality online video platform (OVP). You need a way to host your VOD or live content, monetize it, and utilize interactive features like polls, Q&As, and analytics to enhance user engagement and gather valuable insights that your brand can use for even better content and more effective monetization.
With that in mind, we hope you’ll consider working with Maestro as your online video platform of choice to support all of your CTV plans. Our platform has the multi-device support, advanced analytics, and interactive features you need to achieve the results you’re looking for from your video content!
Work With Maestro
Maestro is a long-standing leader in the online video platform (OVP) market. Our service isn’t just a way to customize the front-end for your videos, but a fully-featured platform with advanced monetization options, in-depth analytics, robust security features, and interactive tools that cater to enterprise-level businesses.
Now, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve opened up a whole new opportunity for reaching your customers using connected TV and smart TV apps. Help your content reach a wider audience with an enhanced viewing experience.
Are you ready to reach your customers over CTV with Maestro? Our team is here to help. Contact us now to find out more and get your content on CTV!
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