Connected TV Platforms: List Of Top CTV Providers (2024)

7 Min Read

In 2024, the Connected TV (CTV) landscape is more dynamic than ever, offering marketers a plethora of platforms to choose from. This article highlights the top CTV platforms and providers, detailing their unique features and advertising capabilities. Whether you’re looking to maximize reach or optimize ad spend, this guide will help you navigate the best options available.

What Is a Connected TV Platform?

A Connected TV platform is a service that delivers television content via internet streaming, bypassing traditional cable or satellite methods. These platforms, such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV, allow users to access a wide variety of on-demand and live content from various streaming apps.

For advertisers, CTV ad platforms offer advanced targeting and measurement capabilities, making streaming TV advertising a powerful tool for performance marketing campaigns.

Connected TV vs Over-The-Top (OTT)

The terms OTT and CTV are often used interchangeably because they’re essentially the same thing with a slight distinction.

CTV refers to the streaming of digital content on an internet-enabled television set, while over-the-top (OTT) describes the delivery of content to any device, not just smart TVs. Therefore, CTV advertising is essentially OTT advertising with living room quality content.

Connected TV vs Linear TV

Now that we know what OTT is, let’s define linear.

Linear TV is defined as TV programming viewed on a predetermined schedule through a traditional satellite or cable box setup. Rather than the on-demand viewing that you’d get from streaming services, you’ll need to tune in at specific times on specific channels to see the shows you want on linear.

Therefore, traditional linear TV advertising is the act of marketing your business or service to this market during prime time viewing.

Benefits of Connected TV Platforms

Connected TV platforms offer numerous benefits that enhance both the viewing experience and advertising capabilities. The main advantages are:

Improved Viewing Experience

Connected TV platforms offer high-definition streaming and on-demand content, enhancing the overall viewing experience. Users can enjoy a vast array of shows and movies with superior picture and sound quality.

Precision Content Targeting

These platforms enable advertisers to deliver highly targeted content based on viewer demographics and behavior. This ensures that audiences receive more relevant and engaging advertisements.

Integration with Smart Devices

Connected TVs seamlessly integrate with other smart devices, allowing for a unified home entertainment system. Users can easily control their viewing experience using smartphones, tablets, and voice assistants.

Access to Diverse Streaming Services

Users gain access to a broad spectrum of streaming services, from popular platforms like Netflix and Hulu to niche channels. This variety ensures there is always something available to suit every viewer’s preference.

Advanced Interactive Capabilities

Connected TV platforms offer interactive features such as clickable ads and personalized recommendations. These capabilities provide a more engaging and personalized viewing experience for users.

CTV Platforms Timeline

Before we discuss the connected TV platforms and providers, let’s take a look at the history of CTV.

With all of that introductory information out of the way, let’s dive into our list of CTV platforms!

1. Smart TVs

Smart TVs come with built-in internet connectivity and pre-installed streaming apps, providing a seamless and integrated viewing experience without the need for external devices.

Popular examples include Samsung Smart TVs, LG Smart TVs, and Sony Bravia, which offer access to platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. These TVs often feature voice control and AI-enhanced picture quality, making them a convenient choice for modern households.

2. Streaming Media Players

Streaming media players are external devices that connect to TVs, enabling access to a wide range of streaming services.

Top examples include Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV, which support a plethora of apps such as Prime Video, YouTube, and HBO Max. These players are known for their user-friendly interfaces and portability, allowing for easy streaming on any TV.

3. Gaming Consoles

Gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch double as powerful streaming devices.

In addition to high-quality gaming, these consoles offer access to all of the most popular streaming apps. This dual functionality makes them a versatile entertainment hub for both gamers and streamers.

4. Computers and Laptops

Computers and laptops provide flexible streaming options, allowing users to watch content on websites and through downloadable apps.

Streaming apps are easily accessible on devices from brands like Apple, Dell, and HP. This flexibility makes laptops and computers ideal for both on-the-go viewing and at-home entertainment.

5. Smartphones and Tablets

Smartphones and tablets offer the ultimate portability for streaming, with access to nearly all streaming platforms via dedicated apps.

Devices like the iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, and Google Pixel can stream Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube directly. This makes them perfect for personal viewing, whether at home or on the move.

6. Set-Top Boxes

Set-top boxes connect to traditional TVs and provide access to internet-based streaming services, often through a subscription model.

Examples include cable providers’ boxes like Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and satellite services like DirecTV. These devices offer a hybrid experience, combining traditional TV channels with modern streaming capabilities, often featuring DVR functionality and voice control.

Why You Need MNTN Performance TV

Keeping the themes of automation, performance, and branding running strong, we elevated our solution offering to include Connected TV. Now, brands could run ads on Connected TV – but with the added benefit of automating the entire process so marketers can simply “plug and play” their campaign parameters such as timeline and budget and focus on driving performance.

Here are some of the other features added to the platform to keep advertisers one step ahead:

• Premium Content: Our Living Room Quality feature serves non-skippable 15 or 30-second ads across 125+ premium, handpicked networks only on Connected TV. We’re not talking about any old network either, but household brands like CNN, FOX, CNBC, and Food Network. Such ads score an average 97% completion rate, which means viewers are truly engaged with this content.

• Precise Targeting: Pinpoint your audience (or find new ones!) with MNTN Matched, the world’s first keyword-based audience builder for CTV, which lets advertisers match with the consumers who are most likely to buy their products.

• Retarget Your Way: We always meet our customers where they are – whether that be on the desktop/laptop or their TV. Whichever is their first point of contact, our television retargeting solution will enhance the overall ad experience and keep your audience engaged across all channels, until the point of conversion on your website.

• Transparent Tracking: This is where our performance solution really kicks into gear. Our Cross-Device Verified Visits proprietary TV attribution model monitors how, when, and where your users are coming across your various touchpoints – down to the device that they’re using to interact with your brand. Our CTV advertising platform is also integrated with Google Analytics – an industry favorite – which pulls in this data and shows how your Connected TV ad is performing alongside your other marketing channels. This allows performance marketers to get a holistic view of their campaigns on a single dashboard, and then optimize accordingly for the best results.

• Performance, Performance, Performance: A word so nice, we had to say it thrice! We funnel all of your performance data, tracking, and marketing metrics within a single user interface, which gives advertisers a view into how their campaign is performing at every level and metric (around 900 of them). Our reporting capabilities puts traditional spreadsheets to shame since you can tailor and customize reports to your liking.

CTV Platforms: Final Thoughts

Well, that’s one for the history books! Whether or not you’re a Connected TV ads convert or a seasoned performance marketer well versed in all things CTV, welcome – we hope you’ll stay awhile. Check out some of our other resources or sign up for our CTV/OTT report below.

Sign Up for the Connected TV Report

Subscribe to the report Apple, Amazon, NBC and more use to get their CTV news.