Roku continues to be the connected TV platform to beat, nabbing nearly 40% of all ad impressions in the first half.
That’s according to a report from Beachfront, which sells software to help with the distribution of ads. Roku had 38.8% of connected TV ad impressions, while Amazon’s Fire TV came in second with 15.7%. Beachfront reports Samsung TV had a 14.9% share, while the set-top box had 12.9%, down from a year ago.
According to the report, ad-supported platforms rose across the board compared to the second half of last year. Brands continue investing heavily in connected TV over set-top boxes as more people turn to streaming over cable. Ad investments in this area have grown 4% overall since 2022. Beachfront notes ad spend for set-top boxes fell 19% compared to last year, although overall impressions increased. Even so, this year, Beachfront “saw a considerable surge in CTV inventory scale driven by the addition of new, high volume premium supply sources,” likely due to increased premium connected TV supply within platforms.
“These changes within Beachfront’s CTV Marketplace demonstrate that, despite set-top boxes maintaining a substantial share of ad delivery, advertisers and viewers alike are flocking to streaming; a trend set to continue well into the next four to five years,” according to the report.
Advertisers are moving to place relevant ads with audiences’ viewing habits in mind. Beachfront’s report shows minor shifts in genre-specific ad placements resulted in “meaningful growth” compared to 2022. Beachfront broke down the “genre signal” of 80% of delivered impressions across 70 genres. Comedy was the top genre, comprising 13% of shares, followed by Drama with 11.25%, Documentaries with 10.68%, and News had 9.43%. On the lower end of shares, Reality shows had 7.16%, the Crime genre had 4.93%, and Action had the lowest at 3.21%.
“These various shifts within the Beachfront Marketplace serve as a vivid illustration of the ever-changing nature and vibrancy of the CTV advertising landscape,” the report said.