I thought we could start the journey on CTV by talking through some definitions first since its very easy to get different definitions based on who you talk to .

CTV content is defined as content from pucks/sticks and TVs that enable consumers to watch streaming media in a laid back living room format.

OTT content (in the context of watching media) is defined as content from devices that stream media over the internet and could include mobile, tablets and set top boxes from your cable provider that enable consumers to watch streaming media in a laid back living room format.

In a nutshell all CTV is OTT but not all OTT is CTV.

Now there is a blended version of set top box which have apps as well. We will cover the world of the hardware in a subsequent post. Then we could dig further into the world of DVR and talk about old guard like Tivo.

The ecosystem in CTV is built on four primary pillars:

1. Platforms or Hardware Players: Platforms provide a way for Publishers to produce and distribute content

2. Publishers and Content Aggregators: Publishers either create content and distribute and/or rely on content aggregators to distribute content.

3. Consumers : Consumers consumer CTV content via Apps the publishers or Content aggregators own via paid or free models.

4. Advertisers : Advertisers pay to reach these consumer eyeballs with their brand messages via platforms or publishers or content aggregators.

As we built our knowledge of CTV , lets try and dig into who and why each pillar matters in the next few articles.

CTV Publishers have been in the business of producing TV and movie content over the last century. They relied heavily on distribution channels such as cable providers and movie theaters to eventually reach the consumer. Their focus was primarily on the content creation and monetization of content. Very few focused on direct relationship with a consumer except folks like Disney who created ginormous brands. This dynamic changed with the Netflixes and Amazon Primes of the world showing the power of direct relationship to consumers. Covid accelerated the streaming mania and folks like Disney, Discover,ViacomCBS,Peacock all launched direct-to-consumer streaming services in 2019-2021.