Pixalate has released its Q3 2026 CTV Seller Trust Index, reporting that only 0.8% of U.S. CTV inventory was resold through arbitrage. The report ranks various ad sellers across major CTV platforms, identifying Google AdExchange as the top-ranked direct seller.
The minimal level of CTV inventory arbitrage suggests a maturing programmatic ecosystem where direct paths are becoming the standard for premium video. By maintaining significantly lower resale rates than web or mobile channels, the CTV sector is positioning itself as a more transparent environment for high-stakes brand budgets. However, the high sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) ratios reported for top-ranked sellers like Google AdExchange and Amazon Publisher Services indicate that direct paths do not automatically eliminate fraud risks. As buyers prioritize supply path optimization, the industry must reconcile the benefits of direct access with persistent measurement discrepancies. Watch for whether Samsung TV’s higher reseller concentration triggers a shift in how SSPs are vetted on that specific platform.
In Q3 2026, U.S. CTV inventory arbitrage dropped to 0.8%, a significant decline from 4.1% earlier this year. This shift toward direct selling indicates a maturing programmatic ecosystem. While this transparency benefits brand budgets, high sophisticated invalid traffic ratios persist, proving that direct paths do not entirely eliminate ongoing fraud risks.
The U.S. CTV arbitrage rate was 0.8% in Q3 2026, which is significantly lower than the rates for mobile at 16.4% and web at 21.4%.
Google AdExchange is the top-ranked direct seller across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung TV, and LG Smart TV.
No, direct paths do not automatically eliminate fraud. For example, Google AdExchange reported a 46% sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) ratio on Samsung TV despite being the top-ranked direct seller.
Samsung TV recorded the highest concentration of resellers, with 21% of its ranked SSPs primarily selling arbitraged inventory.
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