For years, marketers have treated Connected TV (CTV) vs. linear TV as an either-or decision. Shift dollars to streaming. Pull dollars from traditional television. Pick a side.
For large brands, that approach is increasingly outdated.
Consumers don’t separate their viewing into “CTV” and “linear.” They watch the content they want, across whatever platform or screen delivers it. A live sporting event might be on broadcast, a favorite series might be streaming, and the same viewer may move between both in the same evening.
The smarter question isn’t which one wins.
It’s how CTV and linear TV can work together to build a more effective video strategy.
Key Takeaways Between CTV and Linear TV
- It’s not either-or: viewers don’t separate “CTV” from “linear”; they watch content wherever it lives, often moving between both in the same evening.
- The real CTV opportunity is incremental reach: extending a linear buy to people it isn’t reaching effectively, not simply reaching people who already stream.
- Frequency gets harder to manage as TV fragments: across broadcast, cable and various streaming platforms, the goal is balance, not more platforms.
- Cost isn’t the only number that matters: CPM without audience quality and incremental reach can mean paying for exposure you already have.
CTV Advertising Is Growing, But Linear TV Still Has a Role
Streaming now accounts for nearly half of total U.S. TV viewing, according to Nielsen, and CTV advertising continues to attract more investment. But growth in streaming doesn’t mean traditional television has lost its value.
Linear TV still offers something that’s difficult to replicate through a collection of streaming platforms: scale.
Broadcast and cable remain particularly valuable for reaching large audiences around news, entertainment and live sports. Meanwhile, CTV gives advertisers more flexibility to reach specific audiences and supplement traditional television.
For marketers, it’s less about replacing one with the other and more about understanding what each contributes to the plan.
CTV vs. Linear TV: Think Incremental Reach, Not Replacement
The biggest opportunity with CTV isn’t simply reaching people who watch streaming.
It’s reaching people your existing television campaign isn’t reaching effectively.
A well-planned CTV campaign can help extend a linear TV buy, reach lighter television viewers and build incremental reach among specific audiences. But adding CTV without considering audience overlap can also create unnecessary frequency.
That’s why the right question isn’t:
“How many impressions did we buy?”
It’s:
“How much additional audience did we reach?”
For large advertisers, that distinction can have a meaningful impact on the efficiency of the overall media investment.
CTV Advertising Requires a Different Approach to Frequency
As television becomes more fragmented, managing frequency becomes more complicated.
A consumer could see the same brand on broadcast, cable, Hulu, YouTube, Roku and another streaming platform. Each exposure may come from a different buying environment, but the consumer experiences them all as advertising from the same brand.
Adding more platforms doesn’t automatically mean adding more value.
The goal should be to find the right balance between reach, frequency and audience quality across the entire video plan.
Live Sports Are Changing the CTV vs. Linear TV Conversation
Sports are one of the clearest examples of why advertisers shouldn’t think of CTV and linear TV as competing channels.
Live sports audiences are increasingly spread across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. At the same time, major sporting events continue to generate enormous audiences on traditional television.
For advertisers, that creates more ways to reach valuable audiences, but also more decisions about where to invest.
A strong sports strategy may include both linear and streaming inventory, alongside sports sponsorships, depending on the audience, market and objectives.
The goal isn’t to buy every platform.
It’s to buy the audience efficiently wherever it is watching.
OTT vs. CTV: Why the Difference Matters Less Than the Strategy
The term OTT vs. CTV can create unnecessary confusion.
Over-The-Top (OTT) generally refers to video delivered over the internet, while Connected TV (CTV) typically refers to that content being viewed on a connected television or streaming device. For a deeper breakdown of the category, see our OTT advertising guide.
For advertisers, however, the more important issue isn’t the terminology. It’s understanding the inventory, audience and buying opportunities available across the ecosystem.
Whether the campaign is labeled CTV, OTT or streaming TV, marketers should be evaluating the same fundamental questions: Who are we reaching? How much reach is incremental? How often are they seeing the message? And what are we paying for that exposure?
CTV Advertising Cost Isn't the Only Number That Matters
CTV advertising cost can vary significantly based on audience, inventory, geography, programming and demand.
That makes CPM an important buying metric, but not the only one.
A lower-cost impression isn’t necessarily a better impression if it reaches the wrong audience or duplicates exposure you’re already buying elsewhere.
For senior marketers, the better evaluation is the value of the audience being purchased, including reach, frequency, inventory quality and the role CTV plays within the broader media mix.
Build One Video Strategy, Not Separate TV and CTV Budgets
This is where media planning becomes particularly important.
Rather than building a television strategy and then adding a separate CTV strategy, brands should start with the audience and business objective and determine how each video channel can contribute.
- Linear TV may provide broad reach.
- CTV may provide incremental audiences and more precise targeting.
- Programmatic video can extend the campaign beyond the television screen.
- Sports can deliver highly engaged audiences around major events.
The strongest plans don’t ask which channel should get the biggest budget. They ask what combination of channels will accomplish the objective most efficiently.
Why Media Buying Matters More as Television Gets More Fragmented
CTV has made television more flexible, but it has also made it more complicated.
There are more platforms, more inventory and more ways to buy an audience. For advertisers, having access to CTV inventory isn’t the competitive advantage it once was.
Knowing what to buy, where to buy it and how it fits into the larger media plan is.
That’s where Marshall Advertising’s approach is different.
We’re a media buying agency, and we buy both CTV and traditional television. That means we’re not approaching streaming with the assumption that linear TV needs to be replaced, or approaching traditional TV as if streaming doesn’t matter.
We look at the entire media plan and determine where CTV, linear TV and the other channels make the most sense for the audience and objective.
Build a Smarter Video Strategy With Marshall Advertising
The future of television isn’t about choosing between streaming and traditional TV.
It’s about understanding how audiences move between them, and building a media plan that follows.
For large brands, that means looking beyond individual channels and focusing on the bigger picture: reach, frequency, audience quality, cost and business results.
At Marshall Advertising, that’s what we do. We manage $100 million-plus in media across 15+ channels, including CTV and linear TV and cable. We bring streaming, television and our full range of media channels together under one media buying strategy.
If you’re ready to stop choosing between CTV and linear TV, reach out to us today.
Frequently Asked Questions About CTV Advertising
CTV advertising is video advertising delivered through internet-connected televisions and streaming devices. It combines the large-screen environment of television with many of the audience targeting capabilities associated with digital advertising.
Not necessarily. CTV and linear TV have different strengths and can work together. The right mix depends on the audience, campaign objectives, geography and desired reach.
OTT is the broader category of video delivered over the internet, while CTV generally refers to OTT content viewed on a connected television or streaming device. Put another way, OTT is the delivery method, CTV is the device itself.
CPMs generally range from $18–$22 for Run-of-Network, $22–$28 for Standard CTV (curated PMPs), and $28–$36 for Premium CTV (Tier-1 inventory and PMPs). Costs vary based on the brand’s goals, target audience, geography, inventory, programming, and market demand. While CPM is an important consideration, marketers should also evaluate reach, frequency, and inventory quality.
Not automatically. CTV should be evaluated based on a brand’s specific goals and whether it adds incremental reach or other value to the broader media strategy. For many brands, the strongest approach is a strategic combination of CTV and linear television.
