10 questions marketers need to ask when evaluating a Performance TV platform

CTV viewership isn’t just rising — it’s exploding. With streaming now accounting for more than 40% of all TV watching in 2025 and cord-cutting becoming the default, Performance TV has officially moved from “emerging channel” to “you can’t afford to ignore this.”

And yet… choosing a platform still feels harder than it should be.

Every vendor sounds great until you dig into the details. Every pitch deck promises intelligence, automation, and measurement, but not all platforms actually deliver the tools marketers need to run campaigns with confidence.

If you want to separate the platforms that actually support performance from the ones that just know the right words to say, start with these 10 questions. 

1. Does the platform ground campaigns in a true AI-first strategy?

For Performance TV to succeed, it needs AI that informs decisions before spend is allocated and continuously improves campaigns with real-time feedback loops. Platforms without real AI at the core will bog down your campaign and pile on manual tasks, which is great news if you’ve been looking for a new hobby in repetitive clicking.

Look for AI capabilities that can:

• Predict which impressions, audiences, and inventory sources are most likely to deliver outcomes
• Analyze performance across devices, networks, and household behaviors
• Continuously learn and adapt at the household level
• Automate targeting, bidding, measurement, and creative optimization
• Reduce manual work so you spend more time strategizing and less time adjusting levers

2. Can the platform track and optimize toward your actual business goals?

Impressions are nice. Video completions are perfectly fine. But let’s be honest, your leadership team cares about revenue, sign-ups, installs, carts, subscriptions– the lower funnel outcomes that actually make it into a QBR.

Evaluate whether the platform enables you to:

• Track core outcomes like site visits, sign-ups, purchases, revenue, installs, or add-to-carts in real-time
• Adjust attribution windows (1-30 days) based on your strategy and buying cycle
• Align planning workflows with your internal process (self-serve or supported)
• Access fast, human support if questions arise

Because at the end of the day, if a platform can’t optimize toward the goals that matter to your business, it’s not built for performance, it's built for presentations.

3. Does the platform make budgeting easier (and more accountable)?

Budgeting can be a challenge for many marketers, but you should know where your money is going, how it’s pacing, and what you’re getting back. No guesswork.

Look for:

• The ability to launch campaigns within your specific budget and outcome requirements
• Dynamic adjustments based on performance (without requiring constant monitoring)
• Clear, transparent pricing structures
• Flexible caps, pacing tools, and scenario modeling
• Access to account teams or predictive planning tools that help forecast results

If budgeting feels like detective work, run.

4. How advanced is the audience targeting and optimization?

Targeting is one of the biggest advantages of Performance TV, but some platforms lack depth or rely on limited third-party segments.

Your partner should support:

• Targeting by demographics, geography, interests, and online/offline behavior
• Tens of thousands of custom audience segments
• First-party audience activation
• Web-to-CTV retargeting
• The ability to reach audiences as broadly or as granularly as you decide

5. Does the platform give access to premium inventory across major streaming apps?

Your ads should appear where your audiences actually watch their favorite content, but not every platform provides access to top-tier networks or uses outcome data to optimize inventory.

Ask whether the platform allows you to:

• Directly purchase inventory across major streaming apps and networks
• Automatically shift spend based on performance
• Select the formats and placements that fit your creative strategy
• Connect your existing TV inventory to the platform for a unified approach
• Optimize based on outcomes (purchases, installs), not just video completion

Quality inventory matters more than ever, so make sure you are getting it.

6. How well does the platform support creative development, management, and testing?

Creative is half the battle, and running TV ads shouldn’t require a full production studio.

Look for tools that help you:

• Identify top-performing creative and understand why it works
• Run A/B tests across live campaigns
• Repurpose social or existing video assets
• Tap creative partners when assistance is needed
• Automatically fix technical quality issues to speed up launch

Great creative + smart delivery = a winning combo.

7. Is the campaign launch workflow fast and intuitive?

Speed matters. The best platforms make campaign setup feel effortless, especially during high-stakes moments like the holiday season.

Your platform should allow you to:

• Launch using intuitive, guided workflows
• Use automated bidding aligned to your preferred outcome
• Add tracking tags to measure website lift
• Rely on automated QA and creative checks
• Get real human support for last-minute adjustments

Because “ease of use” isn’t a nice-to-have — it is essential to keep performance moving.

8. Does the platform offer transparent measurement and attribution?

Measurement and reporting are the backbone of Performance TV. If you can’t trace outcomes back to impressions, you’re flying blind.

Your platform should allow you to:

• Match ad exposure to site visits and conversions using deterministic and probabilistic attribution
• Visualize the viewer path from impression to website to purchase
• Access real-time dashboards with performance updates
• Pull reports that clearly connect data points to your KPIs
• Run incrementality tests to prove true lift
• Attribute performance across channels within your broader media mix

Transparency builds trust, both for your team and your budget.

9. Does the platform offer robust optimization tools and automate where it matters?

Optimization is where performance lives or dies. Look for a platform that doesn’t just report insights but acts on them.

Make sure it can:

• Optimize toward the goals you’ve set
• Shift placements across networks, devices, and audiences
• Retarget site visitors with CTV
• Leverage AI to ensure ads reach the right people at the most effective moments
• Provide actionable insights for ongoing improvement

Smart automation means you’re not just reacting, but you’re compounding results.

10. Does the overall experience support long-term scale, transparency, and security?

Finally, think about longevity. Can the platform grow with you while maintaining transparency and protecting your data? 

Think about these three areas:

Scalability

• Integrations with your existing tech stack
• Infrastructure that supports multi-brand or multi-region structures
• Access to premium, diverse inventory
• Flexible workflows that adapt to your organization’s unique needs
• Optional managed services for added bandwidth

Pricing Transparency

• Clear explanation of fees
• No hidden charges or ambiguous line items
• Full visibility into how budgets are allocated

Data Security

• Industry-standard encryption and secure authentication
• Strong authentication (2FA/MFA)
• GDPR and CPRA compliance
• The ability to manage user access
• Easy data export and deletion
• Routine security audits and strong privacy documentation

Set yourself up for performance that scales

Choosing a Performance TV platform isn’t just about confirming it can “target audiences” or “buy media.” That’s the bare minimum. You’re looking for a partner that supports your entire workflow–from planning and creative testing to launch, attribution, optimization, and the inevitable pressure to scale faster.

The best platforms will:

• Deliver measurable, defensible outcomes
• Optimize with real speed and intelligence
• Integrate seamlessly with how your team already works
• Stay transparent across spend, performance, and data

When you have the right partner, TV stops being a black box. It becomes a predictable, high-performing channel that you can confidently take into any revenue conversation. 

And honestly? That’s when Performance TV starts to feel less like “traditional TV with metrics” and more like a true growth engine for your brand.

For more information on how to vet a Performance TV platform, download tvScientific’s Evaluation Guide for Performance TV Advertising Platforms.