The deals -- which offer programmatic's speed and targeting, while allowing for a fixed-price agreement in return for guaranteed access to the desired inventory -- have become a popular solution for buyers needing flexibility without losing inventory guarantees, reports @SpotX #AdvancedTVInsider

On average, adding CTV to desktop and mobile drove a 149.6% lift in brand awareness versus desktop and mobile alone; a 36.9% lift in brand opinion; and a 24.8% lift in purchase intent.

The rise in CTV audiences and advertising, and D2C initiatives, has also driven a surge in experimentation with QR codes to drive viewers to sites and yield sales conversions. But these codes, while useful now, are not a perfect solution for mapping conversions to TV.

In a new Xandr survey, U.S. video advertising decision-makers also estimated that one in three ads aren't relevant to the consumers reached.

Nielsen and AMC Networks announced notable addressable initiatives, the Disney+ juggernaut continued its momentum, and Hulu + Live TV and other vMVPDs reported notable subscriber gains.

Though traditional linear TV still delivers far larger reach, smart-TV manufacturers report that 25% to nearly 50% of their devices are now used for streaming only, with no traditional cable or satellite connection.

Project OAR, which had targeted a mid 2020 launch prior to the pandemic, now expects to have 10 million households with Vizio smart TVs ready to roll for deploying TV networks' addressable inventory nationally by year's end.

The pandemic created enough demand to lift (almost) all OTT boats, but there may already be signs that the market can't indefinitely sustain an endless proliferation of video services.

CTV accounted for fully half of total video ad views, followed by set-top-box views at 23%.

People like addressable ads nearly four times more than non-addressable ones --- and also remember addressable ads more accurately, finds an ambitious, still-in-progress study by GroupM's Finecast and DRG.