Only 33% of marketers fully trust CTV performance metrics despite budget hikes

The discrepancy between spending and sentiment suggests CTV’s growth is outpacing its infrastructure. While brands are reallocating budgets to follow viewers, the lack of standardized, trustworthy measurement prevents the channel from capturing even larger performance-based budgets. As marketers experience diminishing returns on social and search, the streaming industry faces immediate pressure to move beyond simple media metrics like completion rate toward qualified leads and store visits. Watch for a shift in spend toward platforms that offer independent, deterministic attribution rather than reliance on self-reported 'walled garden' dashboards.

The tension between rising investment and measurement skepticism is underscored by broader industry findings. According to the IAB's 2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy report, CTV ad spending is projected to reach $26.6 billion this year, growing at 13%, yet failure to deliver business outcomes remains the top reason buyers limit deals with streaming partners. Further, DoubleVerify’s 2026 Global Insights report published in May documented a 140% rise in CTV fraud schemes and variants in Q1 2026 alone. DoubleVerify research also revealed that one in three CTV impressions delivers to screens that are powered off, costing advertisers an estimated $1 billion in annual waste.

Accountability standards are also lagging. Per the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), while CTV transparency improved in late 2025—with non-measurable impressions dropping from 28% to roughly 9% in some programmatic clusters—the market remains fragmented. Research from StackAdapt in March 2026 suggests that nearly half of advertisers now expect CTV inventory to be biddable to gain the same real-time optimization and optimization control they utilize in legacy digital channels. This push for control is sparking product innovation; for instance, Jamloop recently launched a 'Co-Managed' CTV model to address advertiser demands for greater transparency and hands-on control without the complexity of full self-service execution.