Checking whether an ad appeared on a television device

A “CTV” label in a buying report says how the opportunity was classified; it does not prove what appeared on screen. Compare device-category and operating-system breakdowns with the intended deal, and flag unknown categories or unexpected mobile or desktop traffic, but treat these as checks on the classification—not confirmation of an impression.

Open the dedicated ad verification vendor’s report, or the advertiser’s ad management platform if the report is integrated there. For the relevant app or publisher, ask whether it integrates IAB Tech Lab’s Open Measurement SDK (OM SDK), whether its signals go to the Open Measurement Interface Definition (OMID) API, and which measurement provider placed tags to collect them.

For the impression, look for OM SDK impression measurement showing whether the ad appeared on screen, the percentage in view and for how long. These are the impression measures OM SDK provides; a CTV label alone does not establish any of them.

Keep device identification separate from screen measurement. IAB Tech Lab’s OM SDK Device Attestation mechanism addresses device spoofing by adapting the IETF Privacy Pass protocol, which lets web clients assert a property without revealing private information. Attestation is not proof that an ad appeared on screen.

If the video ad uses VAST, check whether its integration supports Open Measurement. IAB Tech Lab’s VAST 4.1 includes support for ad verification with Open Measurement, but that shows integration capability—not that a particular impression appeared on screen.

For example, a bid request labels an opportunity “CTV”. If the relevant impression’s OM SDK measurement records on-screen appearance, percentage in view and duration, you have on-screen measurement evidence; if you find only the CTV label or VAST 4.1 support, screen appearance remains unconfirmed.

CTV Classification vs. On-Screen Verification Evidence

Key Metrics for CTV Ad Verification