What Success Looks Like in CTV for 2026

Connected TV has established itself as a critical component of Canada’s video ecosystem. Fragmentation across platforms and devices is driving a greater emphasis on quality reach, accountable measurement, and outcomes beyond traditional television metrics. T…

Connected TV has established itself as a critical component of Canada’s video ecosystem. Fragmentation across platforms and devices is driving a greater emphasis on quality reach, accountable measurement, and outcomes beyond traditional television metrics. CTV sits at the intersection of premium video environments and digital precision, making it a foundational channel within modern media strategies.

In this piece, IAB Canada outlines the pillars of CTV success for 2026 and highlights where member case studies demonstrate how the channel is delivering measurable value across the Canadian market. CTV success begins with meaningful and incremental reach. Advertisers increasingly evaluate CTV based on its ability to complement and extend beyond linear television, reaching cord-cutters, light traditional TV viewers, and digitally native audiences without excessive duplication.

Successful campaigns balance scale with consistency across devices, publishers, and platforms. Live programming, including sports, and major events, continues to play an important role in delivering predictable audiences and national reach as viewing habits evolve. Samsung Ads Canada | Porter AirlinesIn a fragmented Canadian video landscape, Samsung Ads Canada partnered with Porter Airlines to reach streaming-first households at scale.

Leveraging proprietary ACR data from more than seven million Samsung Smart TVs, the campaign combined First Screen Native Ads with CTV video placements in a bilingual, multi-format strategy designed to drive both awareness and conversion. Using tools such as Reach Advisor and Smart Audiences, Samsung Ads Canada exceeded benchmarks across video completion, website traffic, and incremental reach within SVOD-only households.

The result was a full-funnel campaign that demonstrated how CTV can deliver both brand impact and measurable business outcomes. Roku | Sport ChekTo extend beyond linear television and drive incremental consideration, Sport Chek activated connected TV through Roku to reach streaming audiences not fully captured through traditional channels. By focusing on incrementality and competitive positioning, the campaign expanded reach among CTV streamers while reinforcing brand consideration against key competitors.

The work illustrates how CTV can complement linear investments to unlock new, high-value audiences. Roku | Rust-OleumAs Rust-Oleum introduced Colour Spark in its second year in Canada, the brand sought to differentiate within the competitive DIY and premium home décor category. Through an omni-channel strategy led by its agency partner Involved Media, Roku played a central role in driving engagement and strengthening brand equity among CTV viewers.

The campaign demonstrates how innovation in CTV activation can help emerging brands establish presence and relevance in crowded markets. Why this matters for 2026Audience fragmentation continues to increase, making incremental reach and controlled duplication essential for campaign efficiency and impact. CTV success in 2026 depends on measurement that advertisers can trust. Buyers increasingly expect reporting that is transparent, consistent, and aligned with established video standards, while also reflecting the realities of television viewing.

Strong CTV strategies demonstrate clear performance signals beyond impressions by connecting campaigns to outcomes such as brand lift, site visitation, app installs, and consideration. Cross-platform viewing continues to grow, making deduplicated reach and comparable reporting across environments essential to evaluating effectiveness. CTV measurement is also evolving through the integration of retail and commerce data signals, enabling closed-loop attribution and clearer connections between exposure and purchase.

As these capabilities expand, CTV strategies can increasingly demonstrate not only consideration, but acquisition and direct sales impact. Magnite | Brand Lift StudyMagnite partnered with a restaurant advertiser to conduct a brand lift study measuring the impact of its CTV campaign. The analysis demonstrated measurable improvements across key brand metrics, reinforcing the role of CTV as a performance-driven channel within the broader media mix.

By aligning campaign delivery with transparent reporting and outcome-based measurement, the study highlights how accountable CTV investment can drive both brand impact and business confidence. Why this matters for 2026Consistent measurement strengthens advertiser confidence and supports long-term planning and optimization. Programmatic buying is increasingly central to CTV growth, enabling advertisers to plan and activate campaigns with greater speed, flexibility, and precision.

Automated workflows support audience-based planning and make premium video inventory more accessible across platforms. In 2026, programmatic CTV success depends on balancing automation with control. This requires clear supply path management, curated premium inventory, and safeguards that protect brand safety and viewing quality. Effective strategies reduce duplication, improve price efficiency, and apply frequency management that limits ad clutter, particularly in live environments where predictability matters most.

LG Ad Solutions | AutomotiveAn international automotive brand partnered with LG Ad Solutions to launch a new vehicle model using programmatic Home Screen CTV advertising. By leveraging LG’s first-party ACR data and deploying language-specific creative across English and French markets, the campaign drove strong awareness, recall, and purchase intent among affluent auto intenders. At the same time, programmatic execution improved unique reach and minimized wasted impressions, demonstrating how efficiency and precision can coexist with premium CTV environments.

BrandMo | FMCGAn FMCG brand partnered with BrandMo to activate a curated CTV strategy focused on premium household reach and predictable performance. Using CTV-only supply paths across Smart TV environments, BrandMo reduced duplication, ensured brand-safe delivery, and improved efficiency through supply path optimization. The campaign delivered strong engagement, including higher time spent and a 94 percent video completion rate, demonstrating how curated programmatic execution can drive quality outcomes in premium CTV.

Why this matters for 2026CTV investment continues to scale through programmatic channels, making transparent supply and controlled execution essential to sustaining performance and trust. Live events, including sports, represent one of CTV’s most valuable environments for advertisers. These moments deliver high attention, strong emotional engagement, and shared viewing experiences that remain limited elsewhere in the media landscape.

Successful CTV strategies combine the impact of live programming with digital-level targeting and measurement. Advertisers benefit from premium content adjacency, predictable exposure, and formats designed for large-screen viewing. Effectiveness in live CTV environments is driven by creative alignment with the pace and tone of live content, disciplined frequency management, and thoughtful execution that preserves the integrity of the viewing experience.

Industry education and shared learning continue to build capability in this space. Initiatives such as IAB Canada’s Skills Lab: How to Activate Live Sports in Advertising provide practical frameworks, planning considerations, and executional best practices for live-event environments. Google with Rogers Sports & Media During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Rogers Sports & Media worked with Google Ad Manager to optimize live streaming monetization on Sportsnet+.

To manage spikes in live viewership and deliver consistent advertiser performance, the team implemented custom pacing strategies, used real-time reporting to monitor audience shifts, and applied server-side unwrapping to increase auction competition and yield. The approach resulted in an 83 percent year-over-year revenue increase, strong sell-through rates, and more than 25 percent greater reach for priority campaigns.

The case demonstrates how disciplined execution and real-time optimization in live CTV environments can deliver measurable business impact for broadcasters and advertisers alike. MiQ | Total Video Research (FIFA World Cup 2026)MiQ research highlights the FIFA World Cup 2026 as a major opportunity for advertisers to reach engaged, mobile, and multicultural audiences at scale, with the 2022 final drawing over 10 million Canadian viewers.

With Canada expected to welcome more than 300,000 international fans and generate over $3.8 billion in economic output across 104 matches over five weeks, the report emphasizes the need for Total Video strategies that reduce duplicated exposure and prevent missed audiences across fragmented viewing behaviours. Why this matters for 2026Live programming continues to deliver scale and sustained attention, making it a core environment for high-impact CTV investment.

CTV is a large-screen, lean-back environment that rewards intentional creative and well-designed viewer experiences. Success in 2026 depends not only on strong messaging, but on how creative connects across screens, enables interaction, and supports measurable outcomes. Effective CTV strategies integrate branding, storytelling, and engagement within formats designed for the viewing context. This includes sequential storytelling, interactive formats, second-screen integrations, and experiences that reduce friction between inspiration and action.

The most successful campaigns treat CTV creative as a connected experience rather than a standalone video asset. Corus (NextScreen) | Shark NinjaCorus delivered a first-to-market shoppable innovation in Canada that extends brand storytelling through a custom second-screen experience – NextScreen. Built to support Linear, Connected TV, and Web, the format enables audiences to shop, engage, or learn more directly from video creative, reducing friction and helping drive conversion at the moment of inspiration.

By combining upper-funnel impact with direct response capability, NextScreen allows brands to connect attribution to specific creative executions, supported by enhanced analytics and creative-level reporting through its custom portal. Why this matters for 2026Creative quality remains a key driver of performance as CTV inventory continues to expand across platforms. CTV has established itself as a critical component of Canada’s video landscape.

Investment continues to grow, and the industry focus is shifting toward consistent measurement, greater transparency, and stronger integration within broader video strategies. Through collaboration and the development of shared standards, IAB Canada, the CTV Committee, and its members are helping build a marketplace that delivers reliable outcomes for advertisers while maintaining high-quality viewing experiences.

This collective effort will continue to guide how CTV is planned and evaluated in the Canadian market. We thank the members of the IAB Canada CTV Committee for their leadership and contributions to this piece. Their expertise and ongoing engagement help ensure that the Canadian CTV market continues to evolve with clarity, discipline, and shared accountability. Marketers and partners interested in contributing to future initiatives are encouraged to join the committee and participate in this work.

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