When you think of big-screen advertising–from movie theaters to smart TVs, billboards to bus stops–brand awareness is usually the name of the game. But times are changing. With streaming on the rise, connected TV (CTV) has become a hot spot for performance marketers not just to be seen, but to drive installs.
In this new CTV era, savvy marketers are going beyond awareness to unlock real, measurable acquisition. Whether you're new to CTV or curious how it fits into your strategy, this guide breaks it down.
What is CTV?
Let’s start with the basics. connected TV (CTV) refers to any television that is connected to the internet. When it comes to how that connection happens, think smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or even gaming consoles.
What does CTV have to do with UA, exactly?
CTV user acquisition (UA) is the strategy of running targeted ads on CTV devices with the goal of driving app installs or re-engagement. Really, it’s just like you would on mobile, but on the big screen. The goal these days isn’t just to get your app seen; it’s to get results.
The big screen is having a big moment
Why is now the right time for UA campaigns on CTV? Well, the TV landscape has changed dramatically in recent years:
- 📺 Streaming is the new normal: By Q3 2024, the average length of time video was consumed on TVs had reached 24.2 hours per week, compared to only 14.4 on mobile phones.
- 🏃♂️💨 Cord-cutting is accelerating: Linear TV viewership continues to decline, especially among younger audiences. By 2029, it’s estimated that 278 million viewers will subscribe to ad-supported streaming services.
- 📊 CTV is measurable: Unlike traditional TV, CTV allows for targeting, measurement, and optimization, which performance marketers rely on to optimize, improve ROI, and build successful campaigns.
In short: More people are watching, and now you can actually measure the impact of your ads on TV. That’s a game-changer for mobile performance teams.
How CTV UA Actually Works
So, how is this data-driven marketing actually working under the hood? Here’s a break down of what’s happening behind the scenes when you launch a CTV campaign:
🎯 Targeting
CTV UA campaigns aren’t just broad demographics like “ages 18–34.” You can tap into granular data: behaviors, interests, app usage, household data, and more, all with the option of the additional layer of contextual advertising.
🍿 Bidding & Programmatic Buying
Ads are bought and sold in real-time via programmatic exchanges, much like mobile ads. You bid for impressions in milliseconds, and your ad shows on relevant CTV inventory if your bid wins.
🔎 Cross-device tracking
Here’s the magic: even though users see your ad on TV, they complete the app install on a phone. CTV platforms use cross-device graphs (think: anonymous matching of household-level devices) to attribute installs back to the TV impression.
📊 Attribution & measurement
With cross-device data from an MMP (or internal attribution data), marketers can measure install rates, cost-per-install (CPI), retention, and return on ad spend (ROAS). With real, transparent data, no guesswork is needed.
🎣 Basically, if mobile ads are like fishing with a net, CTV UA is like fishing with radar — you know where the fish are, and you can tell which ones bite.
How CTV performs (as a performance channel)
❗One myth that clearly needs busting: CTV isn’t just for brand awareness.
Thanks to attribution tools and smarter targeting, CTV can drive performance metrics:
- Lower CPIs (especially in saturated mobile channels)
- Re-engagement of lapsed users
- Incremental ROAS when layered with mobile UA
CTV UA in action: A gaming case study
Take Tech Tree Games, the studio behind The Tower. They’d tried CTV before, but past efforts felt more like awareness campaigns than actual growth drivers. This time, they needed a partner who could deliver real performance. A.k.a. valuable installs, not just impressions.
Working with Adikteev, they aimed to:
- ↗️ Acquire high-quality users at an efficient CPI
- ↗️ Boost downstream metrics like retention and ROAS
- ↗️ Outperform their existing UA mix
And it worked.
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Check out Tech Tree Games' full CTV UA case study
Who should consider CTV UA?
CTV works especially well for apps looking to scale beyond mobile-only channels. Here are some top use cases:
- 🎮 Gaming: Reach casual gamers dual-screening during downtime TV moments
- 💲 Finance: Build trust with premium ad placements in living rooms
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🎯 Wellness: Target households with intent-based messaging
Across all verticals, there’s also a huge opportunity to tap into seasonal re-engagement. Win back users during key calendar moments like holidays, tax season, back to school, or high viewership moments like the Super Bowl.
Hit the ground running with CTV UA
If your audience is spending time streaming, CTV could be your next growth lever. The best part is, you don’t need to be a CTV expert to launch a CTV campaign. We do the heavy lifting for you.
Strategy Call
We kick things off with an intro call to understand your goals, KPIs, app, attribution setup (MMP), and how CTV fits into your growth plan. This is where we align on feasibility and success criteria.
Campaign scoping & handoff
Once we’ve confirmed everything checks out, we gather the necessary inputs and hand them off to our Campaign Managers (CMs), who take it from there.
Campaign scoping & handoff
Our CMs build out tailored strategies and prepare the campaign setup based on your specific goals and app profile. Every setup is customized, not templated.
Campaign Launch
Your ads go live across premium CTV inventory. But behind the scenes, our CMs are hard at work actively monitoring and optimizing campaign performance. While our industry-leading predictive models support targeting decisions, there’s still a much-needed human decision-making layer, so your KPIs aren’t at the hands of automation.
What sets Adikteev apart
In a nutshell? Simple. Scalable. Supported. Here’s how Adikteev brings something truly different to the CTV table:
- ML-powered performance: Custom-built machine learning models optimized for your KPIs
- Performance-first mindset: Every campaign is engineered to drive installs, ROAS, and real outcomes.
- Full-Funnel support: From strategy to creative to reporting we’re with you at every step.
- Scalable, efficient tech: Enterprise-grade infrastructure delivers speed, scale, and savings.
This isn’t plug-and-play advertising. It’s iterate-and-optimize performance.
Curious about CTV UA?
You're not alone. As more marketers look beyond crowded mobile ad spaces, CTV is becoming the next frontier for efficient, high-quality user acquisition. This is the time to get started in order to stay ahead of the competition.
Check out Adikteev’s CTV UA.
What's Next?
Part of our CTV Education Series. Stay tuned for more expert guides on optimizing performance, creative strategies, and scaling smart on the big screen.