Advertisers Flood CTV With Cash, But Demand a Better Return

The vast majority of advertisers are boosting their connected TV spend in 2026, with seven in ten planning a 17% budget increase, according to a new survey from Advertiser Perceptions and Premion. The spending spree shows a growing belief that CTV can deliver real business outcomes, not just passive views.

• A strategic shuffle: This isn't just new money; it's a reallocation, with budgets being pulled from linear TV, search, and social to fund the CTV push. The move reflects a deeper strategic shift, as unified teams now control the majority (55%) of streaming TV budgets. The data shows why: four in five advertisers report that combining linear and CTV campaigns is the most effective way to drive ROI across the entire marketing funnel.

• A fractured mess: Even as programmatic buying is set to handle half of all CTV ad purchases, the ecosystem's underlying problems persist. Advertisers are getting louder about the platform's persistent headaches, calling the market a fractured mess. This makes it a nightmare for brands to get a clear picture of their total reach across a dizzying array of platforms and walled gardens.

CTV is no longer an experimental line item; it's a core component of the modern advertising playbook. With that maturity comes higher standards, and advertisers are now demanding simpler activation, smarter tech, and clearer measurement to justify the bigger checks they're writing. The complete 2026 CTV/OTT Advertiser Study is available for download here.