CTV & Streaming Ads Benchmarks 2026

CTV & streaming ads benchmarks · 2026

$24

Median CTV CPM, cross-platform average

Video Completion Rate

83%

Hulu Median CPM

$28

FAST Channel CPM

$12

CTV CPM by Streaming Platform

CPMs vary significantly by platform and inventory type. Premium content on brand-safe platforms (Disney+, Hulu) commands the highest CPMs. FAST channels (Pluto TV, Tubi) offer lower CPMs with broader reach.

Video Completion Rate by Industry

CTV completion rates are significantly higher than other digital video channels due to non-skippable ad formats and lean-back viewer engagement. Telecom and automotive lead.

How to Get the Most from CTV Advertising

Start with household income and age targeting, not interest-based

CTV's strongest advantage over linear TV is demographic precision. Target by household income (top 25% or 50% for premium products), age band, and household composition. Layer in purchase-based data from third-party data providers (Nielsen, LiveRamp, Acxiom) for categories where purchase intent data is available. Do not rely on interest targeting alone — it is less precise than demographic + behavioral combinations.

Use 15-second spots for brand recall, 30-second for consideration

CTV creative length should match your objective. 15-second ads maximize reach efficiency and are better for brand recall at scale. 30-second ads allow for benefit articulation and consideration-stage messaging. For direct response, 30 seconds with a clear call-to-action (QR code on screen, spoken URL) performs better. Test both lengths in initial campaigns before committing to one.

Measure with household graph attribution, not click-through

CTV viewers cannot click an ad on a TV screen. Measurement requires attribution approaches: Measure lift in website visits from households exposed to your CTV ads vs. control groups. Track search query lift for branded terms in CTV-exposed households. Use QR codes in the ad itself to bridge TV to mobile. Pure click-based attribution will report zero CTV performance and cause you to incorrectly cancel a working campaign.

Cap frequency at 3–4 impressions per household per week

Unlike digital display where frequency caps rarely matter below 20+ impressions, CTV ads are intrusive in a living-room environment. Above 4 exposures per week, brand sentiment declines and waste increases significantly. Most CTV DSPs offer household-level frequency capping — use it. 3 exposures per week is the sweet spot for awareness campaigns; 2 exposures for retargeting campaigns.

Combine CTV awareness with paid search retargeting for attribution

CTV drives upper-funnel awareness that shows up in branded search volume. Build campaigns that run CTV awareness in parallel with branded Google Ads retargeting. Monitor branded search volume in geographic markets where CTV is running — a 15–30% lift in branded searches from a CTV market vs. a control market is strong evidence of CTV effectiveness even before direct attribution is possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Connected TV advertising runs on internet-connected television devices — smart TVs, streaming sticks (Roku, Fire TV), and gaming consoles — through streaming apps like Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+. Unlike linear TV, CTV offers digital-level targeting (by demographics, behavioral data, household income, and purchase behavior), impression-level measurement, frequency control, and attribution to downstream actions like website visits or conversions.

See how your performance compares

Import a campaign export and see each metric placed against the benchmark for your industry and channel.

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These benchmarks are drawn from a multi-source benchmark cohort aggregated across industries and regions, covering the period Q1 2023 – Q4 2024. Figures on this page come from the Benchmarketing benchmark dataset: thousands of curated benchmark observations spanning channels, industries, and US metro areas, refreshed on a published schedule. Every statistic traces to a named source — no anonymous “studies show.” Data is sourced from:

• WordStream Google Ads Benchmarks (2024) - Third-party research
• Meta Business Insights (2024) - Platform data
• HubSpot Email Marketing Report (2024) - Third-party research
• Unbounce Conversion Benchmark Report (2024) - Third-party research
• Databox Marketing Benchmark Report (2024) - Third-party research
• AdLiftr Snapchat Ads Cost Benchmarks (2026) - Third-party research
• Ad Badger Amazon Advertising Benchmarks (2026) - Third-party research

The Benchmarketing 4-Band Method reads every marketing metric against four percentile bands — P25 (bottom quartile), median, P75 (top quartile), and elite (top ~10%) — for a specific industry and channel, instead of a single cross-industry average. Averages blend brand and non-brand campaigns, $500/month and $500,000/month accounts, and unrelated industries into a number almost nobody actually has.

Benchmarks reflect median values across large sample sets. Your industry, business model, and account maturity will cause variation. Use P25/P75 ranges to understand realistic distribution.

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