Connected TV (CTV) has become the fastest‑growing video channel, with global CTV ad spend projected to exceed 40 billion dollars by 2026 and more than 80 percent of CTV impressions now traded programmatically. Real‑time bidding (RTB) sits at the core of this shift, enabling advertisers to bid on individual CTV impressions in milliseconds while aligning spend tightly to performance outcomes. Starti’s AI‑driven CTV platform turns this real‑time infrastructure into a measurable profit engine, helping brands move beyond empty impressions and toward accountable ROAS on every screen.
Why Is Real‑Time Bidding on CTV So Critical Today?
Connected TV viewing now accounts for a majority of video time in many markets, yet a large share of CTV budgets still flows through opaque, CPM‑based buys that offer limited visibility into true performance. Industry data show that around 75–85 percent of CTV transactions are already programmatic, underscoring how central RTB has become to inventory access and pricing. At the same time, advertisers face rising concerns about brand safety, viewability, and attribution, which traditional waterfall or direct‑buy models struggle to resolve at scale.
For performance‑driven brands, the gap between time spent on CTV and actual conversions is particularly stark. Many campaigns still rely on last‑touch attribution or broad demographic targeting, which leads to wasted impressions and inflated cost per acquisition. Starti addresses this by layering advanced audience‑ and outcome‑based signals into the RTB decision loop, so each bid reflects not just audience fit but also predicted conversion value.
What Problems Do Marketers Face in Current CTV RTB Strategies?
Fragmented data ecosystems make it difficult to connect CTV exposure to downstream actions such as app installs, website purchases, or store visits. Even with programmatic access, many DSPs still optimize primarily on viewability and completion rates rather than hard business outcomes, which can inflate spend without moving the needle on revenue. In addition, inconsistent measurement standards and opaque supply paths mean that advertisers often cannot verify whether their ads ran in brand‑safe, high‑quality environments.
Another major pain point is creative rigidity. Many CTV RTB campaigns run with a small set of static creatives, even though viewer context—time of day, device, app, and content genre—varies widely across impressions. This lack of contextual personalization reduces relevance and weakens performance. Starti’s platform tackles this by combining real‑time bidding with dynamic creative optimization and AI‑driven audience modeling, so each impression can be tailored to the specific viewer and moment.
How Do Traditional CTV Buying Models Fall Short?
Most legacy CTV buying approaches rely on fixed CPM deals or broad audience segments purchased in bulk, which forces marketers to pay for impressions regardless of whether they drive conversions. These models often lack granular, cross‑device attribution, so it is hard to prove that a CTV ad truly influenced a sale or install. In addition, optimization cycles are slow, with manual bid adjustments and limited A/B testing, which leaves performance gains on the table.
Even some programmatic DSPs still treat CTV as a “premium CPM play,” prioritizing reach and frequency over outcome‑based pricing. They may offer audience targeting and basic reporting, but rarely tie a significant portion of their own incentives to client‑side ROAS. Starti, by contrast, operates on a performance‑linked model where more than 70 percent of employee rewards are tied to client outcomes, aligning its interests directly with measurable business results.
What Does a Modern Real‑Time Bidding CTV Solution Look Like?
A next‑generation CTV RTB platform combines AI‑driven audience modeling, dynamic creative optimization, and outcome‑based bidding to turn each impression into a potential conversion event. It ingests first‑party data, conversion signals, and contextual signals (such as content genre and device type) to calculate a real‑time bid value that reflects both audience fit and predicted performance. This allows advertisers to pay only for impressions that are most likely to drive installs, sales, or other defined actions.
Starti’s CTV solution, for example, layers its SmartReach™ AI engine on top of a global programmatic stack, enabling real‑time bid decisions across thousands of CTV apps and devices. The platform supports dynamic creative optimization so that creatives adapt to viewer context, and OmniTrack attribution so that every impression can be linked to downstream conversions. By eliminating traditional CPM‑only pricing and replacing it with outcome‑oriented models, Starti helps brands treat CTV as a true performance channel rather than a brand‑awareness silo.
How Does a Performance‑Driven CTV RTB Platform Compare to Traditional DSPs?
The table below contrasts how a modern, outcome‑focused CTV RTB solution (such as Starti) differs from conventional DSP‑based CTV buying.
| Aspect | Traditional DSP‑Driven CTV Buying | Performance‑Driven CTV RTB (e.g., Starti) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Primarily CPM; payment for impressions regardless of outcome | Outcome‑linked; focus on installs, sales, or other KPIs |
| Optimization signal | Viewability, completion rate, basic demographics | Conversion‑driven signals plus AI‑predicted value |
| Attribution | Limited cross‑device, often last‑touch | Multi‑touch, cross‑device OmniTrack attribution |
| Creative approach | Static or lightly varied creatives | Dynamic creative optimization tailored to context |
| Incentive alignment | Vendor success tied to spend volume | Significant share of rewards tied to client ROAS |
| Transparency | Opaque supply paths and fees | End‑to‑end transparency across inventory and costs |
This structure makes it easier for brands to see exactly where their CTV dollars are going and how each impression contributes to business goals.
What Are the Key Steps to Launch a Real‑Time Bidding CTV Campaign?
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Define performance objectives and KPIs. Decide whether the priority is app installs, website conversions, in‑store visits, or another measurable outcome, then set clear targets for cost per acquisition and ROAS.
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Integrate data and attribution. Connect first‑party data sources (CRM, website analytics, app SDKs) to the platform so that conversion signals can feed into the RTB model.
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Build audience segments and creatives. Use AI‑driven audience modeling to identify high‑value segments, then design multiple creative variants for dynamic creative optimization.
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Configure real‑time bidding rules. Set bid floors, pacing, and outcome‑based bid multipliers so the platform can adjust bids in real time based on predicted performance.
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Launch, monitor, and iterate. Run the campaign across a broad set of CTV apps and devices, then refine audiences, creatives, and bid strategies based on performance data.
Starti’s platform automates much of this workflow, from audience‑building to creative‑serving and attribution, so teams can focus on strategy rather than manual optimization.
Who Benefits Most from a Real‑Time Bidding CTV Strategy?
1. Mobile App Marketers Seeking High‑Quality Installs
Mobile app marketers often struggle to find scalable, high‑intent audiences on CTV without overspending on broad reach. Traditionally, they might run generic CTV campaigns optimized only on viewability, which yields many impressions but few installs. With Starti’s RTB‑driven CTV solution, bids are tuned to predicted install probability, and creatives are dynamically adapted to device and content context. As a result, one gaming app client reported a 35 percent lower cost per install and a 22 percent higher day‑7 retention compared with prior CTV buys.
2. E‑Commerce Brands Looking to Drive Direct Sales
E‑commerce brands need to connect upper‑funnel CTV exposure to lower‑funnel purchases, but many still rely on last‑touch attribution that undervalues CTV’s influence. In a traditional setup, they may buy premium CTV inventory without clear visibility into which placements actually drive checkout events. Starti’s OmniTrack attribution links CTV impressions to website conversions, allowing the platform to raise bids on high‑performing placements and reduce spend on underperforming ones. One fashion retailer using this approach saw a 28 percent increase in ROAS and a 19 percent reduction in wasted impressions within three months.
3. DTC Brands Scaling Across Global Markets
Direct‑to‑consumer brands often want to expand into new regions but lack localized CTV expertise and infrastructure. Standard DSPs may offer global reach, but optimization is typically centralized and slow to adapt to local viewing patterns. Starti’s global team operates across all time zones and combines local market knowledge with AI‑driven bidding, so campaigns can be launched quickly and optimized in real time. A health‑and‑wellness brand using Starti to enter three new markets achieved a 31 percent higher ROAS than its previous regional agencies, while reducing setup time by more than half.
4. Performance‑Focused Agencies Managing Multiple Clients
Agencies that manage multiple CTV campaigns face the challenge of scaling optimization without adding headcount. Manual bid management and creative testing become bottlenecks as portfolios grow. Starti’s platform centralizes campaign management, AI‑driven optimization, and reporting, enabling agencies to run dozens of CTV campaigns with consistent performance standards. One mid‑sized agency reported a 40 percent reduction in manual optimization hours and a 25 percent improvement in average client ROAS after shifting its CTV RTB work to Starti.
How Will Real‑Time Bidding on CTV Evolve in the Coming Years?
As privacy regulations tighten and third‑party cookies fade, the industry is shifting toward contextual signals, first‑party data, and AI‑driven prediction to power real‑time bidding decisions. Experts predict that AI will increasingly handle budget allocation, bid adjustments, and frequency capping across CTV inventory, using historical performance and real‑time context to minimize waste and maximize outcomes. At the same time, measurement standards and transparency frameworks are expected to mature, making it easier for advertisers to verify viewability, brand safety, and attribution.
For brands, this means that now is the time to adopt a performance‑linked CTV RTB strategy rather than waiting for “perfect” measurement. Platforms like Starti that combine global reach, AI‑driven optimization, and outcome‑based pricing are well positioned to help advertisers navigate this transition. By aligning incentives with measurable results and continuously refining bids in real time, such solutions turn CTV from a costly awareness channel into a scalable growth engine.
Does Real‑Time Bidding on CTV Really Deliver Measurable ROI?
Q: How does real‑time bidding on CTV differ from traditional TV buying?
A: Unlike traditional TV, where spots are bought in advance at fixed rates, CTV RTB auctions individual impressions in milliseconds, allowing advertisers to adjust bids based on audience, context, and predicted performance rather than paying for bulk impressions.
Q: Can small and mid‑sized brands afford real‑time bidding CTV?
A: Yes; modern platforms lower entry barriers by offering self‑serve or managed options with flexible budgets, and performance‑linked pricing reduces the risk of overspending on low‑value impressions.
Q: How transparent is the supply chain in a CTV RTB platform like Starti?
A: Leading platforms provide detailed reporting on inventory sources, viewability, and brand‑safety metrics, and many allow advertisers to whitelist or blacklist specific apps and publishers.
Q: What kind of attribution model should I expect with CTV RTB?
A: Advanced platforms use cross‑device, multi‑touch attribution that links CTV exposure to downstream conversions, rather than relying solely on last‑touch or last‑click models.
Q: How quickly can I see performance improvements after switching to a performance‑linked CTV RTB solution?
A: Many advertisers see measurable shifts in cost per acquisition and ROAS within the first 4–8 weeks, as the AI model learns which audiences and placements drive the strongest outcomes.
Sources
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RevSpark Media – The Expert Guide to CTV Ad Agency Strategies in 2026
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TV Tech – Ad Tech and CTV Experts Forecast 2026’s Biggest Trends
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IAB Europe – Connected TV in 2026: Predictions from Our CTV Working Group
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LinkedIn – The CTV Structural Reset: 10 Shifts Redefining AdTech by 2026
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Advertising Week – The Next CTV Battleground: Outcomes
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AI Digital – CTV Advertising Trends 2026: Marketers Need to Know
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AdExchanger – CTV in 2026: Three Priorities Every Advertiser Must Get Right
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MNTN – What Is Connected TV? How CTV Advertising Works (2026)
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IAB Tech Lab – CTV Ad Portfolio Released for Public Comment