Fake CTV Content Persists Amid Increased Spending, According to Peer39 CTV Benchmarks Report

Q1 2024 study finds that fake content is up since 2023, while overnight impressions account for up to 15% of all campaign impressions

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, April 30, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As Connected TV (CTV) ad spending continues to grow, advertisers are still in need of transparency and accurate reporting. The only way to understand performance, make optimizations, and ensure that no spending is wasted is with robust reporting on where ads appear and when they run.

Today, Peer39, the leading global provider of contextual suitability and quality solutions for modern marketers, shares its Programmatic CTV Benchmarks Report for Q1 2024, showing an increase in the number of impressions going to Fake CTV content, while also sharing CTV daypart benchmarks for the very first time.

“As we enter the Upfront season, we are seeing two significant trends where marketers desire more decisioned media on biddable inventory, while also needing better transparency and suitability controls and insights,” said Mario Diez, CEO, Peer39. “Our quarterly benchmark report aims to arm buyers with better data to inform how best to invest in CTV media and drive results.”

Fake CTV Content: A persistent problem.
Peer39’s analysis finds that fake CTV Content is not only persistent but is on the rise. Peer39 categorized 8.57% of all bid requests in Q1 as coming from Fake CTV content. These are OTT apps available within marketplaces that label themselves as CTV within programmatic marketplaces but do not fit the standard concept of TV programming, including screensaver channels, photo widgets, games, and mobile apps posing as CTV.

This is a 28% increase from what was reported less than six months ago in Peer39’s Q3 2023 CTV Benchmark Report. There is a similar size increase of 27% in the amount of Fortune 500 companies observed running ads in this content over the same time period. These brands now account for almost half (47%) of total ads running on Fake CTV content.

Daypart benchmarks add transparency
Peer39’s report also shares daypart benchmarks for the very first time. Programmatic guaranteed and PMP buys do not always report on when ads actually run, making daypart information a critical piece of data for CTV ad buyers. Peer39 finds that, on average, between 11% and 15% of all impressions run in overnight hours, between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

The benefits and drawbacks of this time slot vary depending on the brand and its goals. Peer39 is making these insights available by device, genre and channel for the first time so that brands can better understand an acceptable rate of impressions and make necessary optimizations if needed.

Top Overnight Impression Percentages By Content Genre
-Supernatural 16.3%
-Poker 14.8%
-Gaming 13.7%
-Travel 12.67%
-Kids 11.2%

Divisive news remains an issue in election year
Peer39 also categorized 3% of bid requests as coming from divisive news channels. This is programming and channels that present and promote news stories that are not fact-checked or satirical and are politically biased. Peer39 expects this number to increase as the 2024 political season gets into full swing.

The rapid rise of Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV (FAST) has led to the launch of more than 50,000 different channels, which is more than any advertiser should expect to keep up with. At the same time, advertisers should be able to stay off of hyperpartisan political programming or misinformation by using the same kind of prebid controls they have come to expect in programmatic.

Methodology
Peer39’s Programmatic CTV Benchmarks Report is based on a number of data sources, including live post-bid campaign impression data, data analysis and manual review of sensitive CTV channels, and a global analysis of the open bid requests seen by Peer39 in Q1 2024 (January 1 to March 31).

Download the Programmatic CTV Benchmarks Report for Q1 here.

About Peer39
Peer39 is an independent data company that provides the largest data set available in the digital advertising ecosystem. Every day, the industry's leading brands, agencies, and publishers trust Peer39's AI-powered semantic analysis engine to provide a holistic understanding of page content, meaning, and sentiment. We do this by analyzing the relationship between words on a page, the content of a video, or in an app, ensuring appropriate classification. As people's time and attention become more fragmented, Peer39 believes that to succeed, you need as much contextual understanding of your audience as possible. We believe that it's as much about the digital environment as it is about the physical environment. Only then can you deliver the right ad to the right user in the right context.

Rich Cherecwich
WIT Strategy
rcherecwich@witstrategy.com