Media Planning
Part of Connected TV advertising for Australian brands
Connected TV versus online video advertising
Compare CTV with broader online video by screen, creative task, response path and reporting unit before choosing a buy.
Connected TV advertising is the TV-screen part of online video advertising. The deciding question is where the ad must appear. If television viewing matters to the message, specify CTV delivery. If the campaign needs video across phones, computers and TVs, plan the broader online video mix and report each screen separately.
A service name alone does not settle the distinction. The same broadcaster stream can be watched on a smart TV or a phone. Impressions from that service may therefore place the creative in different viewing settings.
| Planning question | CTV delivery | Broader online video delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Screen in scope | An internet-connected television screen | Any eligible screen in the buy, potentially including television |
| Response design | Plan a clear message or a next step on another device; check any interactive option | Use the response options supported by each booked format |
| Creative review | Check legibility and sound in the intended TV setting | Review each intended screen and placement |
| Reach reporting | Check whether the unit is a device, household or modelled person | Check units and deduplication across devices and services |
These are planning distinctions, not guaranteed features or performance advantages. The supplier’s formats, controls and reports determine what can actually be bought.
Connected TV (CTV) vs. Broader Online Video Advertising: Key Planning Differences
- Screen in scopeAn internet-connected television screen
- Response designPlan a clear message or a next step on another device; check any interactive option
- Creative reviewCheck legibility and sound in the intended TV setting
- Reach reportingCheck whether the unit is a device, household or modelled person
- Screen in scopeAny eligible screen in the buy, potentially including television
- Response designUse the response options supported by each booked format
- Creative reviewReview each intended screen and placement
- Reach reportingCheck units and deduplication across devices and services
Choose the screen from the task
A TV-screen buy may suit a simple demonstration or a message designed for shared viewing. That is a creative judgement, not evidence that CTV always performs better. A wider online video mix may suit a campaign that also needs mobile or desktop viewing, or a next step supported by those placements.
Make proposals comparable
Ask each seller to break out forecast and delivered impressions by device category, publisher or app, geography and format where available. Confirm whether “CTV” means TV screens only and how unknown devices are handled. If a proposal combines CTV with other online video, request separate reporting for each.
Use the same audience definition, dates and success measure when comparing options. A completed play records that playback reached the defined completion point; estimated reach describes audience coverage; a site visit or enquiry records a later action. Do not compare one supplier’s completed plays with another’s modelled household reach as if they answer the same question.
Check whether reported reach is deduplicated across services and devices, and how. One person may encounter a campaign on several screens, while several people may watch one television. Keep those limits beside any combined reach claim.
Put the required screens, eligible inventory and measurement unit in the buying brief.
Making Proposals Comparable: Key Steps for Buyers
- Break out forecast and delivered impressions by device category, publisher or app, geography and format where available
- Confirm whether “CTV” means TV screens only and how unknown devices are handled
- Request separate reporting if CTV is combined with other online video
- Use the same audience definition, dates and success measure when comparing options
- Verify whether reported reach is deduplicated across services and devices, and how
- Include required screens, eligible inventory and measurement unit in the buying brief
