This article is brought to you by the experts at 10TH DEGREE. 

We’ve all been watching streaming services and smart TVs grow in popularity rapidly in the last few years, but there’s no denying that now is their moment. With more people staying at home and finding alternatives (or additions) to their traditional entertainment, connected television (CTV) is experiencing a real boom.

As it turns out, extra couch-time is good for television viewing. Not only are people watching more television, but they’re also watching at more times throughout the day.

Source: The Trade Desk

It sounds like a good opportunity, right? Let’s jump into the details: 

What is CTV?

Connected TV (CTV) refers to any TV that can be connected to the internet and access content beyond what is available via the normal offering from a cable provider. 

It also refers to devices that use a television as a display and can connect to the internet to access content.

Examples include SmartTVs, AppleTV, Amazon FireStick, Roku, etc. These host a variety of apps and networks, including Netlfix, Amazon Video, Hulu, BBC, HBO, and many more. 

Source: The Trade Desk

If you’re noticing a lot of your favorite networks and systems on there, you’re picking up on just how wide-ranging and popular CTV is becoming. 

Who is watching CTV? 

Turns out, a lot of people are no longer using cable for their television entertainment. Instead, they’re opting for smart TVs with access to their favorite content directly. Sure, it requires some picking a choosing, but there’s a lot of great content today.  

Let’s look at who still has cable, and who has “cut the cord:”

Source: The Trade Desk

The data is pretty well split by age groups. The majority of age groups over 35 had cable, but young adults under 35 were the first generation to break away, with over 60% not subscribing. 

However, it is interesting to note that the proportion planning to keep cable TV was less than 45%, even for adults over 55. Many households of each generation plan to leave cable behind soon.  

The smallest group of cable viewers are also the most devoted users of CTV. Younger generations have already moved to new TV viewing models. This notoriously hard-to-reach, hard-to-woo audience is becoming increasingly available to your marketing messaging via CTV. 

What does advertising on CTV look like? 

CTV looks just like your normal video advertising, except on a bigger screen.  

You don’t even have to create new content to begin. Traditional tv or online video advertising ads can be used without a hiccup. In addition, OEM tools make it easy to quickly customize stock footage to create eye-cathing new videos for a new medium. This easy in-house creative service helps cut down dramatically on your ad costs, boosting your ROI. 

And they look nice too: 

In general, the higher quality the video, the more placements are available – including with premium publishers. And with viewing better spread out through the day (instead of concentrated while people are home from work), there are more opportunities for contact.

All this means that CTV advertising doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be one of the more cost-effective advertising options available to you at this strange time. 

The Challenge to Cable – CTV In the Long Term

The last bastion of traditional cable are the older generations – who stick with what they know, and live sports fans – who depend on cable for coverage. But that’s not going to stay the same. With live sports being canceled or changed, viewers are looking to other forms of entertainment and sources for their sporting fix. 

A lot of the time, that means turning to CTV, and everything it can offer – particularly when there are sports channel apps that, while not having new games, might have new content or other interesting features to check out.

Source: The Trade Desk

Unsurprisingly, sports fans enjoy watching games in a way that makes them feel like they are on the field. They favor larger screens, the ability to record and replay games and enjoy a variety of content.

CTV and sports-viewing apps and subscriptions make these features more easily accessible than traditional cable. Just another way CTV is becoming the norm. 

Consider these audiences when establishing your advertising strategies, and you’ll be able to craft highly-specific, top-quality content for those buyers. 

Conclusion

There’s never been a better time to get interested in this type of advertising. Many of the older channels of advertising have become less effective or too expensive in the COVID-influenced world. CTV is a breath of fresh air. 

Want to know more about making CTV work for your dealership? Check out 10TH DEGREE at www.10thauto.com.