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Connected TV (CTV)

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Any television that connects to the internet to stream content beyond traditional broadcast/cable.

What is Connected TV (CTV)?

Connected TV (CTV) refers to any television set that connects to the internet to stream digital video content, bypassing traditional cable or satellite broadcast providers. CTV encompasses both televisions with built-in internet capabilities (Smart TVs) and traditional televisions connected to the internet via external hardware devices.

Popular examples of Connected TV devices include:

  • Smart TVs: Samsung, LG, Vizio, Android TV.

  • Streaming Devices & Sticks: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast.

  • Gaming Consoles: PlayStation, Xbox.

For performance marketers, CTV represents a massive shift in digital advertising—combining the high-impact, big-screen experience of traditional television with the precise targeting and data-driven measurement of digital advertising.

CTV vs. OTT: What’s the Difference?

While the terms are often used interchangeably in marketing, they refer to two different parts of the streaming ecosystem:

  • CTV (The Device): The physical hardware used to watch the content on a TV screen (e.g., a Roku stick or a Smart TV).

  • OTT (The Content): “Over-The-Top” refers to the method of delivering video content over the internet, bypassing traditional TV providers. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Peacock are OTT services.

Simply put: You watch OTT content on a CTV device.

Why CTV Matters for App Marketers

Historically, television advertising was reserved for massive brand-awareness campaigns because tracking direct ROI was nearly impossible. Today, CTV allows mobile app marketers and user acquisition (UA) managers to run highly targeted, performance-based campaigns.

The key benefits of CTV advertising include:

  • Premium, Un-skippable Inventory: Ads are typically served in full-screen, high-definition formats that viewers cannot skip, leading to exceptionally high completion rates.

  • Highly Engaged Audiences: Co-viewing is common, meaning a single ad impression can reach multiple users in the same household simultaneously.

  • Granular Targeting: Advertisers can target users based on demographics, geolocation, behavioral interests, and first-party data.

  • Measurable ROI: With the right Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP), marketers can connect a TV view directly to a mobile app install.

What is CTV Attribution?

CTV Attribution is the process of linking an ad exposure on a Connected TV to a downstream action taken by the user on a different device—such as downloading a mobile app, making an in-app purchase, or signing up for a subscription.

Because the user is watching an ad on their TV but taking action on their smartphone or tablet, marketers cannot rely on traditional mobile tracking methods like clicking a link. Instead, measuring CTV requires advanced cross-device attribution to bridge the gap between the living room screen and the handheld device.

How Affise MMP Measures CTV Attribution

Measuring the true impact of a CTV campaign requires specialized technology. Affise MMP empowers marketers to correlate CTV ad impressions and clicks with downstream mobile installs and in-app events with pinpoint accuracy.

Here is how Affise MMP handles complex CTV-to-mobile tracking:

1. Cross-Device Deterministic & Probabilistic Matching

Affise combines deterministic matching (via device IDs where applicable) with advanced probabilistic models. By analyzing signals like shared IP addresses, device usage patterns, and time-based correlations, Affise can accurately attribute an app install to a CTV ad—even when users switch devices.

2. Household Attribution

Because CTV ads are often viewed on a shared screen by multiple people, Affise utilizes Household Attribution. This privacy-compliant model connects shared-screen ad exposure with measurable actions that occur on any device in the same household. This provides statistically meaningful insights into ad effectiveness without relying on personal identifiers.

3. Impression & Click ID Capture

Affise MMP captures impression tokens, device identifiers, and click IDs from all major CTV platforms (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV). Whether a user downloads an app immediately after seeing an ad or scans an on-screen QR code, Affise traces the install back to its exact source.

4. Privacy-First Data Handling

Built to meet GDPR, CCPA, and global privacy regulations, Affise provides end-to-end encryption and data anonymization, ensuring your CTV attribution remains compliant while delivering actionable ROI insights.