Connected TV (CTV)

Television content streamed over the internet to a TV via smart TVs or streaming devices.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Connected TV (CTV) is television content streamed over the internet to a TV screen through smart TVs, streaming devices, or game consoles. For advertisers, CTV combines the big-screen impact of traditional television with digital targeting and measurement. Ads are often bought programmatically and delivered within streaming apps rather than broadcast schedules.

A couple relaxes on a mid-century sofa facing a flat-screen TV whose glowing cable rises to a cloud floating beneath the living-room ceiling. 1960s ink-and-gouache magazine-ad illustration. — Connected TV: the living-room screen, streamed from the cloud.