CTV (Connected TV) is a subset of OTT, referring to television content streamed over an internet connection and viewed on Smart TVs, connected streaming devices, gaming consoles, and Set Top Boxes.

Pontiac supports two methods for accessing CTV inventory:

• Deals (Recommended): Target Public or Negotiated Deals offering CTV or OTT/CTV inventory. This provides greater control over the streaming publishers, content, and environments where your ads appear.
• Open Exchange: Access eligible CTV inventory directly through supported Exchanges. Additional App targeting is recommended to restrict delivery to streaming TV applications.

When setting up a CTV Campaign, ensure that your Creatives, targeted inventory, Device Types, and targeting settings are compatible with CTV. All other Campaign and Line settings, including budgets, bidding, pacing, geographic targeting, and conversion tracking, remain customizable based on your Campaign goals.

1. Upload CTV Creatives

1. Navigate to your Advertiser, or create a new Advertiser if needed.
2. Upload one or more Video Creatives that meet the Creative Specs.
3. Allow up to 24 hours for the Pontiac Creative Audit to complete.

Note: Some publishers and Exchanges may require additional creative approval before your Creatives are eligible to serve.

2. Create Your Campaign and Lines

Under your Advertiser, create a Campaign and one or more Lines.

CTV Inventory and Targeting Recommendations

When configuring your Campaign and Line targeting, consider the following recommendations to ensure your settings are compatible with CTV inventory.

• Inventory Type: Select In App, as CTV inventory is typically delivered through applications on Smart TVs and connected devices.
• Deals and Deal Lists: Target Deals offering CTV or OTT/CTV inventory. Confirm that the selected Deals support Video Creatives and provide inventory on Connected TV, Connected Device, or Set Top Box devices. OTT/CTV Deals may also contain Mobile, Tablet, or Desktop inventory that will not be eligible under CTV-specific Device Type targeting.
• Device Types: Select Connected TV, Connected Device, and Set Top Box to focus delivery on CTV environments.
• Sites and Apps: For Open Exchange delivery, use App Name, App Bundle, or App List targeting to identify streaming TV applications. Without these restrictions, delivery may extend to other applications available on Connected TV devices that are not primarily streaming TV services.
• Frequency Capping: Select No Cap. CTV publishers may not consistently provide usable device or user identifiers, making frequency capping less reliable and potentially restricting delivery.
• Audience Targeting: Custom Audiences and ART Audiences can be used for CTV Campaigns. ART Audiences allow advertisers to target ZIP codes that over-index for their desired audience. Audience availability and matching may vary across CTV inventory, and restrictive audience targeting can limit delivery scale.
• Bid Price: For PMP Deals, use the Deal floors as guidance and consider starting approximately 40–50% above the floor, adjusting based on bidding performance and delivery. Premium CTV inventory can be competitive, and clearing prices vary by publisher, content, and inventory availability.
• Video Playback Targeting: We recommend leaving Video Playback Type and Video Player Size unrestricted, particularly when targeting CTV-specific Deals. Additional restrictions may limit eligible inventory if publishers do not consistently provide the corresponding video metadata.

Important: Campaign and Line targeting are evaluated together. Conflicting targeting requirements or settings that do not align with CTV inventory can prevent delivery, even when the Campaign and Line are otherwise configured correctly.

Other targeting options, including geographic targeting and advanced settings, can be customized based on your Campaign goals. Highly restrictive targeting may reduce eligible CTV inventory.

For additional information, see the Targeting Methods Documentation.

3. Select Your CTV Inventory Setup

Option A: CTV Campaigns Using Deals (Recommended)

We recommend using Public or Negotiated CTV Deals to access streaming TV inventory with greater control over publishers, content, and supply sources.

For inventory that most closely resembles traditional linear television, consider selecting Deals offering Live or Long Form content, such as live programming and full television episodes.

Targeting multiple compatible CTV Deals can help increase available inventory and improve delivery scale.

How to Target CTV Deals

1. Navigate to Inventory to explore available Public or Negotiated Deals.
2. Identify Deals offering CTV or OTT/CTV inventory.
3. Confirm that the Deals support Video Creatives and provide inventory on Connected TV, Connected Device, or Set Top Box devices.
4. Open your Campaign or Line in Edit Mode.
5. Navigate to Edit Targeting > Inventory > Deals or Deal Lists.
6. Select the applicable CTV Deals or Deal Lists.
7. Leave Exchange targeting unselected to avoid excluding Exchanges associated with your selected Deals.
8. Save your targeting settings.

Note: Not all OTT/CTV Deals provide inventory across every device category. Review the available Device Types for each Deal to confirm that it supports CTV delivery.

For more information, see the Deals Documentation.

Option B: CTV Campaigns Using Open Exchange

CTV Campaigns can also run through eligible Open Exchange inventory. However, additional App targeting is recommended to ensure delivery is focused on streaming TV applications.

Without App targeting, a Line may serve across other applications available on Connected TV devices, including weather, news, and other non-streaming TV environments.

How to Configure Open Exchange CTV Inventory

1. Open your Campaign or Line in Edit Mode.
2. Navigate to Edit Targeting > Inventory > Exchanges.
3. Select the Exchanges through which you want to purchase CTV inventory, such as Index Exchange, Microsoft, OpenX, Magnite, or Freewheel, where eligible Open Exchange CTV supply is available.
4. Under Inventory targeting, apply an App Name, App Bundle, or App List Allow List containing your desired streaming TV applications.
5. Confirm that Inventory Type is set to In App and Device Type targeting includes Connected TV, Connected Device, and/or Set Top Box.
6. Save your targeting settings.

Important: Open Exchange inventory is not automatically restricted to traditional streaming TV content. Targeting appropriate CTV applications is recommended to avoid delivery across other connected device environments.

4. Review CTV Inventory Compatibility

Before launching, confirm that:

• Your Lines have approved Video Creatives that meet the applicable CTV specifications.
• Your targeted Deals or Exchanges provide CTV inventory.
• Inventory Type is set to In App.
• Device Type targeting includes Connected TV, Connected Device, and/or Set Top Box.
• Frequency Capping is set to No Cap.
• Video Playback Type and Video Player Size are left unrestricted unless specifically required.
• If using Audience Targeting, the selected segments are appropriate for CTV inventory.
• For Open Exchange delivery, an App Allow List is configured to target the intended streaming TV applications.
• Any required publisher or Exchange creative approvals have been completed.

Note: A Line may save successfully even when its targeting configuration does not align with the intended CTV inventory. Always verify inventory compatibility before launching to avoid delivery issues.

Once your Campaign is active, monitor delivery and bidding performance under the Performance tab at both the Campaign and Line levels.

For additional Campaign setup and targeting guidance, refer to the relevant Pontiac Wiki articles or contact the Help Center.