• by Wayne Friedman , June 10, 2020

Although connected TV advertising keeps growing, data from CTV advertising campaigns shows there can be much confusion when it comes to identifying where those video ads are running.

For example, DoubleVerify, the ad-tech company, in analyzing its DSP partners, says only 23% of CTV advertising campaigns follow new IAB standards when it comes to identifying specific apps.

DoubleVerify says some CTV platforms are better than than others at this -- Apple TV versus Roku, for example. 

CTV manufacturers and connected app developers generate their own CTV app IDs. One CTV app can have, for example, as many as five different IDs.

With no standard ID to measure against, brands can be confused about where video ads have run -- which can result in misleading targeting data as well as fraud.

DoubleVerify is looking to bring a new transparent reporting platform for CTV advertising inventory -- mapping app names across platforms and devices, and synthesizing them to IAB standards. 

With its launch, DoubleVerify says it has mapped more than 6,000 CTV apps across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox, PlayStation, LG TV, and smart TVs.

IAB recently debuted guidelines to standardize naming of apps across CTV platforms.  This includes establishing unique app identifiers, as non-unique identifiers can cause confusion. It recommends the use of the “app store IDs” where available. 

Secondly, there is an issue finding independent, reliable technology to identify devices where CTV ads have run, which can mean a large number of impressions on CTV devices being incorrectly reported. IAB recommends a better structure for User Agent software which contains identifying details device platforms should provide.