CONNECTED TV/OTT AD SPENDS INCREASES TO 40% IN THE USA AMID PANDEMIC

Global ad fraud intelligence and marketing compliance platform,  Pixalate released its Covid-19 updates, along with its programmatic Ad Spend in the “Age of COVID-19: Connected TV/OTT Advertising Report,” which examines how U.S. programmatic advertisers have shifted budgets during the Covid-19 pandemic. "After pulling back ad spend in March, OTT/CTV advertisers appear to be reinvesting in the ecosystem as consumers continue to stay home," said Jalal Nasir, CEO of Pixalate. "All major device types saw ad spend gains in April and May, a promising sign that the OTT/CTV ad landscape is quickly regaining its footing."

Key findings for programmatic Connected TV/OTT ad spending include a “bounce back” of 40%. OTT/CTV ad spend and Connected TV (CTV) / over-the-top (OTT) ad spending increased by 40% during the period analyzed in the study, making a come back from a 14% dip in March, with Hulu and Sling TV contributing to a rise of over 30%.

Hulu increased by 44% and Sling TV by over 30%. The two biggest Roku store apps saw significant gains across Roku and Apple devices for programmatic ad spend. All major OTT/CTV devices saw an increase in ad spending since April, including Roku at more than 44% and Apple at 40%. The 'Kids & Family' apps rose by 128%, and apps in the 'Kids & Family' category on Roku saw a 128% increase in programmatic ad spend. These figures are based on Pixalate's analysis comparing the weeks of 5th-11th April to 10th-16th May 2020. 

Based on programmatic ad transactions, the report includes 20 notable, top-rising Roku store apps that saw ad spend gains during the time frame studied, according to Pixalate's research. Some examples of fast-rising apps include The CW, at 129%, Fox News Channel at more than 103%, Hulu at 44%, ABC at 31%, and Sling TV at 30%. Programmatic OTT/CTV ad spend trended on a week-by-week basis from April through May 2020.

Roku is the fastest-rising Roku app based on ad spend. Its app categories saw the most change based on ad spend and one of the supply-side platforms (SSPs) that saw the most change in programmatic ad share of voice.