CTV is reshaping how brands reach television audiences

Connected TV is changing how brands reach television audiences, giving them more accessible and flexible options than ever before

By Adiela Dramat, Senior Client Partner at Reach Africa

For many years, TV advertising worked in a fairly simple way. Campaigns were planned around programme schedules, media was booked months in advance, and only brands with serious spend could compete for airtime. And while television has always been a powerful channel for reach and impact, Connected TV (CTV) is evolving how brands access and use the TV screen, particularly as Connected TV advertising in Africa continues to grow.

Across Africa, more viewers are now watching content through streaming platforms on smart TVs and connected devices. Audiences move between subscription services and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels, choosing what to watch rather than following a fixed broadcast schedule, creating new opportunities for FAST channels advertising and AVOD advertising in Africa.

For advertisers, this shift enables new ways to reach audiences in the premium TV environment. Rather than replacing traditional TV, CTV is expanding how brands participate in it.

CTV opens the door to more advertisers

One of the biggest misconceptions about CTV advertising is that it is only for brands with big budgets. Another is that it only reaches niche or affluent audiences. In reality, as streaming continues to grow across the continent, CTV connects brands with a wide range of viewers.

It is also changing how TV advertising is bought. Instead of planning around programme slots, advertisers can focus on the audiences they want to reach and the results they want to achieve. In this sense, CTV isn’t really a separate channel – it is simply a more flexible way of buying television, often through programmatic TV buying in Africa that allows for more precise targeting and control.

Campaigns can start small. Brands can test their message, see how audiences respond, and then grow the campaign. This flexibility lowers the barrier to TV advertising. Brands that once relied only on social media or digital display can now access the power of the TV screen while still benefiting from the accountability of digital media.

For some brands, CTV is a first step onto the biggest screen in the home. For established advertisers, it is a powerful extension of television campaigns, allowing them to plan and measure streaming environments using the same reach, frequency and measurement frameworks they already use for broadcast TV.

Bringing clearer measurement to TV advertising

Measurement is another area where CTV is making a difference.

Traditional broadcast TV relies on ratings and Gross Rating Points (GRPs) to estimate how many people saw an advert. This system has worked well for many years and remains important for delivering large reach and cultural impact. But it does not always show how audiences engage with advertising.

CTV brings more clarity. Advertisers can see metrics such as viewability, completion rates, reach and frequency. In simple terms, brands can understand not only how many people saw their advert, but how viewers interacted with it.

The industry is also finding ways to connect these digital metrics with the familiar language of television planning. Increasingly, impressions and views can be translated into audience ratings and Gross Rating Points (GRPs); the same metrics long used to plan and measure traditional TV campaigns.

For media planners, this creates an important bridge between broadcast TV and streaming environments. Campaigns can be planned and measured in ways that make sense across the entire TV ecosystem, rather than treating streaming as something completely separate.

CTV is a natural evolution of television

As these measurement systems continue to align, the line between “CTV advertising” and “TV advertising” will become less important. For many brands, CTV is simply another way to reach television audiences.

As streaming grows across Africa, the television landscape will continue to evolve. The screen is becoming more flexible, more measurable, and more accessible to advertisers than ever before.

For brands, the opportunity is simple: the power and impact of TV, combined with the flexibility of digital media, with clearer visibility into CTV campaign measurement and ROI.

If you’re looking to extend your TV strategy or explore how CTV can deliver measurable reach for your brand, get in touch with Reach Africa to start planning your next campaign.