NEW YORK—A new study reported that despite record streaming viewership and soaring ad spend, most connected TV advertising still relies on decades-old formats, which leaves billions in potential brand impact untapped, according to TripleLift
The new industry report released by TripleLift finds that 49% of CTV advertising still relies on traditional placements, with most campaigns built around 15- and 30-second video spots originally designed for linear TV.
"CTV is one of the fastest-growing channels in media, but creatively it's still operating like the three-network era," said Dave Helmreich, CEO of TripleLift. "The industry promised the best of TV and digital. Instead, we recreated traditional commercials in a new pipe."
Article continues belowThe report, "The Architecture of Attention: Why Nonstandard CTV Is the New Standard for Impact," argues that despite the explosive growth of streaming, the ad formats on those platforms remain rooted in decades-old creative models.
The study notes that ad-supported streaming has rapidly become the dominant model for connected TV, accounting for 74.2% of overall TV viewing and that global advertising spend is expected to follow a similar trajectory, with CTV ad spending projected to surpass linear television by 2030, according to WARC.
Yet despite this transformation in viewing habits, the advertising experience itself has barely changed. Most brands continue to run traditional TV-style commercials in streaming environments - even though CTV enables the creation of entirely new types of advertising experiences.
The research suggests that advertisers may be leaving significant performance gains on the table. The study noted that campaigns that combine traditional CTV spots with high-impact formats—such as pause ads, overlays, and native streaming units—deliver dramatically stronger outcomes than standard video ads alone.
Key findings of the report include:
- +33% increase in brand recall when high-impact formats run alongside standard CTV spots
- 11× higher brand consideration vs. industry benchmarks
- +76% purchase intent when campaigns include multiple innovative CTV formats
- Consumers are also receptive to these formats. The study found that 67% of viewers say innovative CTV ads are more memorable than standard ones, while 77% describe pause ads as informative rather than disruptive.
NEW YORK—Despite record streaming viewership and soaring ad spend, a new study indicates that most connected TV advertising still relies on decades-old formats, which the researchers at TripleLift said leaves billions in potential brand impact untapped.
The TripleLift study finds that 49% of CTV advertising still relies on traditional placements, with most campaigns built around 15- and 30-second video spots originally designed for linear TV.
"CTV is one of the fastest-growing channels in media, but creatively it's still operating like the three-network era," said Dave Helmreich, CEO of TripleLift. "The industry promised the best of TV and digital. Instead, we recreated traditional commercials in a new pipe."
The report, "The Architecture of Attention: Why Nonstandard CTV Is the New Standard for Impact," argues that despite the explosive growth of streaming, the ad formats on those platforms remain rooted in decades-old creative models.
The study notes that ad-supported streaming has rapidly become the dominant model for connected TV, accounting for 74.2% of overall TV viewing and that global advertising spend is expected to follow a similar trajectory, with CTV ad spending projected to surpass linear television by 2030, according to WARC.
Yet despite this transformation in viewing habits, the advertising experience itself has barely changed. Most brands continue to run traditional TV-style commercials in streaming environments - even though CTV enables the creation of entirely new types of advertising experiences.
The research suggests that advertisers may be leaving significant performance gains on the table. The study noted that campaigns that combine traditional CTV spots with high-impact formats—such as pause ads, overlays, and native streaming units—deliver dramatically stronger outcomes than standard video ads alone.
Key findings of the report include:
- +33% increase in brand recall when high-impact formats run alongside standard CTV spots
- 11× higher brand consideration vs. industry benchmarks
- +76% purchase intent when campaigns include multiple innovative CTV formats
- Consumers are also receptive to these formats. The study found that 67% of viewers say innovative CTV ads are more memorable than standard ones, while 77% describe pause ads as informative rather than disruptive.
While audiences are open to new ad experiences, the industry has been slow to adopt them. According to TripleLift, the problem isn't a lack of creative ideas. Instead, the biggest barrier is infrastructure.
As streaming platforms have launched ad-supported services, many have introduced custom ad formats tailored to their user interfaces and viewing environments. While these formats often perform well, the lack of standardized specifications across platforms makes them difficult for brands and agencies to scale.
This fragmentation has led many marketers to fall back on traditional creative formats that can run everywhere even if they are less effective. "Agencies are built to produce 15s and 30s," said one executive quoted in the report. "Creative teams need formats that are easy to deploy across platforms."
TripleLift believes the next phase of CTV advertising will require infrastructure designed specifically for modern streaming environments.
The report also suggests that solving the creative infrastructure challenge may require broader industry collaboration. Past digital media innovations—from online video formats to native advertising—only scaled once standards were established across platforms.
"Streaming rebuilt television distribution," the report concludes. "Now the industry must rebuild television advertising."
For more information, visit www.triplelift.com.
