Today, 88% of US households own at least one Connected TV (CTV) device, with over 200 million Americans streaming content. It’s no surprise that CTV advertising has exploded into a $35 billion industry, yet there's a persistent challenge. A significant amount of that spending is wasted through imprecise targeting.
The good news is that a targeting revolution is underway, and early adopters are seeing game-changing results.
In this guide, we'll reveal four advanced targeting strategies that combine broad reach with surgical precision, transforming CTV campaigns from expensive awareness exercises into outcome-driven growth engines.
Historically, targeting on TV relied on household-level demographics while display and social campaigns leverage detailed behavioral data and granular preferences. Marketers essentially used precision targeting on every other digital channel, then switched to broad-brush approaches for the screen that commands the most attention in American homes.
For years, this approach led marketers to see TV as a significant downgrade from mobile and web targeting capabilities. And the impact of this targeting gap extended beyond wasted impressions.
Every mistargeted ad represents a lost opportunity to build brand equity with relevant audiences. Worse, it potentially creates negative brand experiences for viewers who have zero interest in the advertised products or services.
Consider the shared device reality: Multiple family members use the same living room TV. Traditional targeting identifies "household with $100K+ income, suburban location" and stops there. But today’s smart targeting asks: "Who's actually watching right now, and what does that person care about?"
The difference between these approaches determines whether CTV campaigns drive profitable growth or become expensive awareness exercises with limited business impact.
For example, grandparents likely aren't watching "Love Island" reruns, but perhaps their granddaughter is. She might be a good fit for a dating app or a trendy makeup brand, but her grandparents probably won’t be.
So, how can you implement a better targeting approach tailored to each individual?
A significant shift is occurring in video-level content intelligence. Instead of relying on broad demographic assumptions, AI-powered systems now analyze the actual content viewers choose to watch — not just genre classifications, but themes, context, and scene-level details that reveal audience intent.
The logic is straightforward: Fishing show enthusiasts represent prime audiences for both fishing gear and related mobile games. "American Ninja Warrior" fans likely have fitness interests, making them logical targets for health apps or supplements.
According to recent data, this type of approach delivers measurable results:
These aren't marginal gains. They represent the performance improvements that transform marketing ROI and validate media investments.
Content intelligence represents just one component of advanced CTV targeting. The broader opportunity lies in bringing digital-like addressability to television screens.
Smart marketers have discovered how to maintain broad reach without sacrificing targeting precision. The solution involves leveraging data providers that enable 1:1 user targeting, moving beyond traditional "spray and pray" approaches.
Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology exemplifies this evolution. ACR captures actual viewing behavior on smart TV screens — linear programming, streaming content, and video games — creating targeting opportunities based on real behavior rather than demographic assumptions.
Three ACR targeting methods are reshaping CTV strategy:
The efficiency gains are substantial. CTV campaigns using advanced targeting achieve attention costs as low as $1.10 per 1,000 seconds of genuine viewer attention — among the most efficient rates across digital advertising channels.
While audience targeting offers granular precision, contextual targeting provides essential balance and future-proofing. With third-party cookie deprecation continuing across the digital ecosystem, contextual approaches become increasingly valuable.
Household device sharing creates additional challenges for audience-only targeting strategies. Multiple users accessing the same connected TV can result in misaligned targeting, regardless of data quality.
The good news is that contextual targeting addresses these issues while offering scalability advantages:
The evolution toward smarter CTV targeting requires platforms integrating multiple data sources and targeting methodologies. tvScientific integrates with all major third-party data sources, providing access to over 15,000 unique targeting segments across six core categories:
Our platform also supports multiple identifier types including email addresses, physical addresses, IP addresses, and mobile device IDs — all within a secure, privacy-compliant environment.
Plus, you can retarget your most valuable visitors and engage them with the highest impact ad on the most influential screen in three simple steps:
The CTV market will continue growing. Smart targeting approaches combining content intelligence, audience addressability, contextual relevance, and first-party data activation represent the foundation for competitive advantage. This will deliver both immediate performance and long-term brand building, eliminating the false choice between efficiency and effectiveness.
If you want to see tvScientific’s robust targeting capabilities in action, get in touch with us.