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Connected TV advertising has been generating a lot of buzz in mobile growth circles lately. Some of that buzz is warranted; some of it gets lost in marketing speak. This article aims to cut through the noise and offer a practical look at what CTV actually is, how measurement works, and why mobile growth teams are increasingly adding it to their channel mix.
Why CTV Is on the Radar Now?
The reason CTV is getting attention from performance marketers (not just brand teams) comes down to a few converging factors.
First, viewership has shifted dramatically. Streaming now accounts for the majority of TV time for many demographics, and that trend continues to accelerate. Research shows that over 80% of American TV viewers use a smartphone, tablet, or laptop while watching television. That second-screen behavior creates a natural bridge between TV exposure and mobile action.
Second, measurement capabilities have matured. Unlike traditional linear TV, where attribution was largely guesswork, CTV runs on internet-connected devices where impressions can be logged, targeted, and connected to downstream actions. This doesn’t make CTV measurement identical to mobile but it makes it workable for performance-minded teams.
Third, the channel is growing fast. Industry forecasts project CTV ad spend growing at roughly 14% annually, making it one of the fastest-expanding ad channels. In a recent Nielsen survey, 56% of marketers globally said they plan to increase CTV investment in 2025.
How CTV Measurement Actually Works
For mobile growth teams, the key question is always: can I measure this? With CTV, the answer is yes, though the mechanics differ from traditional mobile attribution.
The core challenge is straightforward: the ad plays on a TV, but the install happens on a phone. These are different devices without shared identifiers. So how do you connect them?
The primary method is household-level matching. When a CTV ad is served, the system logs the household IP address. When a user later installs the app on their mobile device, the MMP checks whether that device’s IP matches a household that was exposed to the CTV ad within a defined attribution window. If there’s a match, the install gets attributed to the CTV campaign. IP-based matching isn’t the only option, though. The specific methods available depend on your MMP and the inventory you’re buying — worth discussing with your measurement partner during setup.
This approach is probabilistic rather than deterministic as it connects households. But it’s reliable enough to optimize against, especially when you’re working with MMPs like AppsFlyer, Adjust, or Kochava that have built out CTV attribution capabilities.
A few technical details worth understanding:
- Attribution windows matter. Many advertisers intentionally set shorter windows to ensure CTV only claims installs that genuinely followed an ad view, rather than absorbing organic installs that would have happened anyway. Setting appropriate windows for your category is important for accurate measurement.
- View-through attribution is the norm. Since users can’t click a TV screen, CTV relies on view-through attribution. You’re measuring users who saw the ad and later installed, rather than users who clicked through directly.
- Post-install events can be tracked. MMPs can attribute not just installs but downstream events like purchases, subscriptions, retention milestones to CTV campaigns. This lets you evaluate the channel on metrics that actually matter to your business.
Why Mobile Growth Teams Are Paying Attention
Beyond the measurement mechanics, there are a few characteristics that make CTV particularly interesting for app marketers.
- Attention quality is notably higher. The viewing environment is fundamentally different from a social feed. Users are in lean-back mode, often watching full-screen with sound on. Research from Comcast found that viewers spend 67% more time watching a streaming TV ad than the same ad on social media, and are 43% more likely to view the ad at all. Video completion rates on CTV often exceed 90%, compared to 20-30% for short-form mobile video.
For apps that need to explain a value proposition like fintech products, health apps, productivity tools, those extra seconds of actual attention can make a meaningful difference.
- Second-screen behavior enables immediate action. Because most viewers have their phone within reach, CTV ads can prompt instant response. QR codes have become a common mechanic, and they work.MNTN research indicates 65% of TV streamers will grab their phone to look up something they saw in an ad. A well-designed CTV spot can channel that impulse directly toward an install.
- Cross-device campaigns create unified measurement. The real is integrating CTV with mobile and desktop placements in a single campaign. This allows you to reach the same users across screens with coordinated messaging and measure the combined impact. Platforms like Yango Ads have built cross-device App Campaigns specifically for this purpose, allowing advertisers to run Smart TV and desktop placements alongside existing mobile inventory, tracked through a single MMP integration.
What This Looks Like in Practice
When a leading global caller ID and privacy app launched its first CTV App Campaign with Yango Ads, the results came quickly:
+47% increase in app installs within one month
-27% CPA for in-app purchases
“CTV advertising was a real game-changer for us. It allowed us to combine TV-scale awareness with performance metrics and tracking,” said the company’s Head of Marketing.
The campaign used 6-, 15-, and 20-second video ads served on Smart TV inventory, with attribution tracked through AppsFlyer. The marketing team was able to prove that CTV could deliver both brand impact and ROI-positive user acquisition within a single campaign.
This example illustrates the broader point: with proper measurement setup, CTV can function as a genuine performance channel.
Practical Considerations Before You Start
If you’re evaluating CTV for your growth mix, a few things are worth keeping in mind:
- Creative needs to work without a click. Your video has to do the full job: capture attention, communicate value, and prompt the viewer to pick up their phone. Explicit calls-to-action (“Download the app,” “Search for [AppName]”), QR codes, and clear branding aren’t optional. Repurposing a social video without adaptation usually underperforms.
- Give campaigns time to learn. Like any performance channel, CTV needs a standard learning period before you can make meaningful optimization decisions. Expect a learning period of a few weeks before making major decisions about performance.
- Incrementality testing adds confidence. Because CTV influences users earlier in the funnel, some conversions it drives will show up attributed to other channels (like branded search). There are several ways to validate true incremental lift: geo-based holdout tests comparing regions with and without CTV exposure, A/B testing within a single market, or pre/post analysis comparing performance before and after CTV launches.
- Production quality matters more. The screen is bigger, attention is higher, and viewers notice low-quality creative. You don’t need Super Bowl production values, but you do need polished, professional assets.
For a deeper dive into CTV strategies for mobile growth, check out our Yango Ads Growth Chats episode on YouTube, where I sat down with Sofia Mehrabi, Head of Media Strategy at Rocket10, to discuss the practical side of making CTV work for app marketers.
This post is written by:
By Daria Gordeeva, Business Development Manager at Yango Ads Campaigns
