Connected TV: the new prime-time is programmatic

Is television dead? No. It has migrated. Linear consumption keeps declining, but total time spent on TV screens is rising — driven by ad-supported streaming (AVOD/FAST). For the CMO, this means the historically most powerful channel for brand-building is still alive, now with the buying mechanics of digital.

The AVOD and FAST boom

Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and HBO Max have launched ad-supported plans and unlocked premium inventory at competitive prices. In parallel, FAST channels (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) — Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels — have created a new long-tail TV layer. In Portugal, RTP Play and the CTV offerings from NOS and MEO further expand the domestic market.

The advantage for brands

Unlike linear TV, CTV enables cross-device frequency capping, audience targeting (behavioural, contextual, first-party), dynamic creative and real-time digital measurement. It is brand-building with performance built in — which is why it now lives in the same P&L as digital media, not traditional broadcast.

Risks: MFA and opacity

Accelerated growth has created room for Made-for-Advertising streams and vendors with opaque supply chains. The recommendation is to insist on Supply Path Optimization (SPO), TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group) audits, and to avoid exchanges that don't publish ads.txt/app-ads.txt and sellers.json.

MediaWorks recommendation

Allocate 10-25% of the video budget to programmatic CTV, prioritising premium suppliers and incremental measurement. Don't treat CTV as an extension of YouTube — it's a channel with its own objectives, creatives and KPIs.