Connected TV (CTV) has quickly become a centerpiece of modern advertising, especially for brands seeking performance at scale. The promise is tantalizing: premium TV content, streamed across devices, delivered with the targeting precision of digital platforms. But as new self-serve platforms race to capitalize on this momentum, a fundamental question arises: Are these tools truly delivering value, or just offering a simplified illusion of success?

Content Is Still King—But Context Is Important
Much of the confusion in CTV stems from a misalignment on what CTV actually means. Is it about the device, or is it about the content? For performance marketers, the answer should be clear: it’s about the content. Specifically, full-episode, professionally produced, television-quality content - not short clips or repurposed social videos. The screen might be a tablet, laptop, or mobile device, but the premium experience remains rooted in the narrative depth and viewer attention that long-form content delivers.

This distinction matters. In households with children, for instance, the family TV is often monopolized by kid-focused content. Adults may turn to personal devices like iPads or phones for their own content consumption. That shifts targeting and performance dynamics dramatically. A platform that doesn’t account for these behavioral nuances is already starting from behind.

The Problem With “Facebook for CTV”
Self-service platforms understandably want to be the CTV equivalent of social media ad tools: fast, intuitive, and minimal-effort. But performance in CTV isn’t plug-and-play. Oversimplification can lead to underperformance, especially when these platforms operate with opaque methodologies and black-box measurement.

Many brands have jumped into these tools, lured by frictionless setup and promises of scale. But the outcomes often disappoint. Without a deep understanding of inventory quality, device fragmentation, or signal integrity across IPs and households, these tests often result in minimal lift and a lot of confusion. Marketers walk away blaming the channel, when the real issue lies with how the campaigns were run.

True CTV performance is measured not by impressions or completion rates, but by incrementality—what lift did the campaign actually drive? Unfortunately, few self-serve platforms lean into third-party validation. That’s a strategic gap.

For CTV to work, advertisers must scale intelligently and measure outcomes rigorously. Third-party measurement, direct access to inventory, and deep data integrations must play a primary role. Without them, platforms are just reshuffling the ad tech stack and hoping for a different outcome.

Resellers Everywhere
The fragmentation in CTV is being exacerbated by layers of middlemen. There are supply-side platforms (SSPs) selling to aggregators, who then resell to agencies, who finally package it for brands. The result? Marked-up inventory with little clarity on where ads are actually running.

Many agencies claim to offer CTV capabilities because they hold a seat on a major demand-side platform. But without hands-on experience managing CTV campaigns, that seat is just a ticket to suboptimal delivery. Campaigns get pushed to open exchanges with limited targeting and little performance feedback. In the end, marketers are paying premium CPMs for inventory that behaves like the lowest tier of display.

As more brands dip their toes into CTV, a wave of re-education is underway. Why didn’t my campaign work? What did I actually buy? What device, what context, what content? The right questions are finally being asked—but only after the fact.

To move forward, the industry must move beyond the “easy button.” Performance in CTV is achievable, but it demands intentional planning, strategic buying, and a commitment to transparency. Self-serve tools can play a role—but only if they evolve to respect the complexities that make CTV unique.