Behind the Numbers: CTV and Streaming Advertising Trends for 2026 Summit

Episode Title: Activation and Measuring CTV Campaigns | Behind the Numbers Special Edition
Date: November 22, 2025
Host: Arielle Fager (eMarketer Senior Analyst)
Guests:

• Shruti Khattood, SVP of Growth Marketing and Media Strategy, Nutrafol
• Benjamin Vandegrift, VP of Measurement Strategy and Innovation, Video Advertising Bureau (VAB)

Episode Overview

This special edition of EMARKETER’s "Behind the Numbers" explores the fast-evolving space of Connected TV (CTV) and streaming advertising as brands gear up for 2026. The panel, recorded during the eMarketer Summit, dives deep into:

• Growth drivers of CTV adoption
• Full-funnel activation strategies
• The practical use of first-party data
• Challenges and innovations in measurement
• The emerging influence of AI
• Predictions on game-changing innovations for the coming year

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What’s Driving CTV Adoption?

[02:37 – 07:06]

• Increasing Viewership:
  Ben Vandegrift details that CTV audiences are now tuning in for nearly 2.5 hours a day, with 90% of US households owning at least one CTV device.
• Ad Dollars Follow Audiences:
  Over $33 billion invested in CTV advertising this year, with a 20% YoY growth in streaming during the upfronts.
• Lower Barrier to Entry & Tech Innovation:
  Innovations in targeting, programmatic buying, and creative formats make CTV accessible, especially for SMBs. "Innovations and enhancements in technology enable advanced targeting, and the buying and selling of CTV programmatically… a huge opportunity of growth for CTV." (Ben, 04:30)
• Shift from Linear TV:
  Brands witness rising CPMs and declining reach in linear TV, prompting a shift to streaming where creative content enjoys longer shelf life.

2. CTV as a Full-Funnel Performance Engine

[07:06 – 11:21]

• Beyond Reach & Impressions:
  Brands utilize CTV for both brand awareness and measurable ROI — not just upper-funnel tactics.
• Experimentation Frameworks:
  Shruti notes, “We are building experimentation frameworks that make it a full funnel performance engine… looking into how do we invest in both, both upper funnel, mid funnel and lower funnel to understand reach, brand lift… and then lower funnel is really ROI.” (Shruti, 07:23)
• Role of Premium Content & Brand Safety:
  Ben emphasizes emotional engagement from premium content, citing VAB research showing up to 40% increased purchase intent.
  • “Somewhere around… 60% of US adults have higher recall for brands in premium content… this power premium carries through the funnel… increasing purchase intent by 35 to 40%.” (Ben, 09:45)
  • Brand safety remains crucial; nearly 90% of consumers hold brands accountable for ad placement context.

3. Harnessing First-Party Data for Smarter CTV Activation

[11:21 – 15:50]

• Strategic Use of First-Party Data:
  Critical for precision targeting, frequency control, and deduplication across platforms.
  • “It's important to attach your first party data, but also to understand how much are you bombarding the consumer at the same time.” (Shruti, 12:40)
• Three-Pronged Data Approach:
  Ben outlines transparency, consent, and value exchange as foundational for building trust and effective data practices.
  • “If I remember correctly, somewhere around 70 to 75% of customers are willing to share their personal information with a brand that's offering something in return.” (Ben, 14:30)
• Integration with Funnel Strategies:
  Using first-party data helps optimize creative and message selection for each funnel stage.

4. Measurement: The Ongoing Challenge

[15:50 – 21:34]

• Identity-Based Measurement Is Key:
  Ben asserts: “It’s one word, identity… having the ability to recognize an individual viewer or household, their viewing behaviors, purchase behaviors… is going to be critical to measurement strategy.” (Ben, 16:09)
• Fragmentation Frustration:
  Shruti acknowledges the difficulty of reconciling performance across platforms and DSPs, especially when brands lose out on first-party data via marketplaces.
  • “I genuinely empathize with every brand and marketer who is looking for answers for measurement, which is really hard.” (Shruti, 17:52)
• Actionable Frameworks Suggested:
  • Prioritize consolidation of DSPs for unified frequency control
  • Set consistent KPIs across partners by funnel stage (e.g., search lift, brand lift, traffic spikes, retargeting pool size)
• Balancing Precision with Perspective:
  • One measurement backbone or source of truth is recommended.
  • “Precision comes from the fact you have one measurement backbone… then perspective is more about what are the multiple touch points doing for you.” (Shruti, 20:30)
• Don’t Ignore Top of Funnel:
  Ben shares an anecdote of a major QSR brand reconsidering their bottom-funnel focus.
  • “To build your first party data you need to gather net new customers… that’s done by activating and measuring branding and awareness campaigns.” (Ben, 22:12)

5. AI’s Growing Influence in CTV Marketing

[23:04 – 27:22]

• Creative Optimization & Cost Efficiency:
  Shruti looks to AI for affordable, scalable creative variations, especially for TV.
  • “We know TV creative is not cheap for anyone… AI can really help… not burn through your bank while doing that.” (Shruti, 23:33)
• Data Synthesis for Optimization:
  AI can accelerate turning first-party data into actionable insights.
• Computer Vision in Advanced Measurement:
  Ben highlights AI-driven computer vision applications — from scene analysis for placements to real-time attention metrics.
  • “Companies like Relometrics, Iris TV, and T Vision use [computer vision]… to determine what apps are being accessed, emotions in scenes, and brand exposure during live moments.” (Ben, 25:54)
• Both Panelists Agree:
  AI’s potential is vast but still largely in the early stages for CTV.

6. Looking Ahead: Innovations with the Biggest Impact for 2026

[27:22 – 29:31]

• Shruti:
  Hopes for democratization and accessibility in cross-publisher identity and frequency deduplication via clean rooms.
  • “How do we do cross publisher identity and frequency deduplication through clean rooms and make it accessible for everyone?… That is really the key for our measurement, if we can make that happen.” (Shruti, 27:43)
• Ben:
  Highlights new, emotionally engaging ad formats (split-screen, shoppable/interactive formats, pause ads, QR codes) as major growth opportunities.
  • “Research is showing that these innovative ad formats are creating powerful moments for brands and for audiences.” (Ben, 28:56)

Memorable Quotes

• On CTV’s Value Proposition:
  “CTV…brings together premium high quality and engaging content, along with advanced targeting and innovative ad formats. Add in granular data that can be accessed in near real time…making CTV the ideal mechanism of advertising.”
  — Ben Vandegrift, 08:47

• On Brand Safety:
  “As a brand, you can put forth all this effort and investment in your growth, but your dollars can ultimately end up working against you if your ads land in inflammatory, objectionable content…”
  — Ben Vandegrift, 10:34

• On Measurement Hurdles:
  “I genuinely empathize with every brand and marketer who is looking for answers for measurement, which is really hard.”
  — Shruti Khattood, 17:52

• On the Balance of Branding and Performance:
  “The first step to achieving your goal is somebody needs to know who you are, they need to trust you as a brand.”
  — Ben Vandegrift, 22:04

• On AI and Creative:
  “TV creative is not cheap…that’s where AI can really, really, really help…leaning into creative first.”
  — Shruti Khattood, 23:33

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |--------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:37 | What’s driving CTV adoption in 2025/2026? | | 05:31 | Brand-side view: Shifts in audience, CPM, and creative shelf life | | 07:23 | Using CTV for full-funnel performance | | 09:45 | The power of premium content and brand safety | | 11:56 | First-party data’s role in targeting and measurement | | 16:09 | The centrality of identity in CTV measurement | | 17:44 | Addressing fragmentation, KPI alignment, DSP consolidation | | 20:30 | Finding the balance between measurement precision and holistic brand performance | | 23:33 | AI’s current applications: creative optimization and data analysis | | 25:29 | Computer vision: Advanced AI in content/contextual ad alignment | | 27:43 | Most impactful future innovations: cross-publisher ID/frequency deduplication (Shruti) & new ad formats (Ben) |

Tone and Style

The conversation is strategic, practical, and optimistic—combining in-the-weeds marketing realities with a forward-looking view. The guests share both high-level philosophies (“full funnel”/brand building) and tactical tips (DSP consolidation, creative testing, data best practices). The panelists are candid about ongoing challenges but excited for the potential of AI and measurement breakthroughs.

Summary Takeaway

CTV is surging as both consumer behavior and technology evolve, but measurement and identity fragmentation remain major pain points. The most successful marketers are integrating first-party data, consolidating platforms, balancing measurement rigor with strategic perspective, and prepping to experiment with AI and new ad formats. Consistent, cross-platform measurement and smarter creative innovation will be the battlegrounds—and opportunities—for 2026 and beyond.