Key Takeaways from Our Second Connected TV (CTV) Workshop in London

Building on the momentum from our first CTV workshop in Brussels, we hosted our second Connected TV (CTV) Workshop in London, kindly hosted by FreeWheel.

The workshop brought together representatives from Amazon Ads, EGTA, FreeWheel, IAB UK, MFE, RTE, and Samsung Ads to continue sell-side industry discussions around CTV value, measurement, and standardisation.

Setting the Scene: Defining CTV

The session opened with a fundamental icebreaker: how do we explain CTV in plain terms?

Participants broadly aligned on CTV as a modern form of television, combining the premium, big-screen viewing experience with digital-like flexibility and data. The discussion also reinforced that CTV is not a single, uniform environment, with delivery, buying, and measurement varying across broadcasters and platforms.

You can view our definition of CTV here. 

Agency Considerations for CTV: FreeWheel’s Perspective

FreeWheel opened the session with a presentation focused on how agencies are approaching CTV amid growing complexity and commercial pressure.

The presentation centred on:

• Fragmentation within agency structures, with CTV often sitting between linear TV and digital teams, as well as execution happening in multiple teams 
• Continued reliance on linear TV-led narratives, despite increasing CTV availability
• The need to clearly demonstrate commercial value, balancing client outcomes with agency business models

Education remained a key theme, particularly in helping agencies:

• Align CTV with client objectives and KPIs
• Differentiate propositions in pitch and RFP environments
• Clearly communicate the value of premium broadcast and streaming inventory

Overall, CTV was positioned as a strong opportunity, provided the industry can align on consistent measurement and clearer value frameworks.

Advancing a Proposed CTV Measurement Framework

A central focus of the workshop was discussion around a proposed CTV measurement framework from IAB Europe, structured around must-have, should-have, and nice-to-have elements.

The discussion resulted in agreement that: 

• Transparency and core metrics such as Reach should sit at the core of CTV measurement, with greater consistency across media owners
• Standardised metrics should not deviate from existing industry standards to avoid complexity across media channels
• Measurement standards must reflect the specific characteristics of CTV, including device-level delivery and co-viewing, without adding unnecessary complexity
• A clear distinction is needed between baseline measurement and outcome-focused metrics, such as incrementality, which is reflected in the must-have, nice-to-have and should-have framework

The discussion underscored the importance of balancing technical capability with practical adoption, ensuring the framework supports consistency while remaining flexible for different advertiser goals.

Broadcaster Perspectives: Insights from EGTA

To close the session, EGTA provided a concise broadcaster perspective, emphasising the importance of alignment across the industry as CTV activity increases.

The key takeaway from the presentation was the need to ensure that any new measurement or reporting approaches are developed within a unified framework, helping to avoid further fragmentation across broadcasters, platforms, and markets.

This point reinforced the broader workshop discussion around the value of consistency and shared standards in supporting trust, comparability, and scalability in CTV.

Next Steps

The workshop concluded with agreement on the following next steps:

• Refining the proposed CTV measurement framework based on workshop input
• Expanding future discussions to include more buy-side stakeholders, with a particular focus on agencies, alongside interested broadcasters and media owners, to further challenge and shape the framework
• Opening the framework for industry-wide public comment in Q2
• Working towards publication in Q3/Q4, supporting broader industry alignment

As CTV continues to scale across Europe, collaboration across agencies, broadcasters, platforms, and industry bodies remains essential. This second workshop marked another important step towards a shared approach to CTV measurement and transparency.

Looking ahead, we will continue this work through the CTV Working Group, bringing together stakeholders from across the ecosystem to further shape and refine the proposed framework ahead of the public comment phase.

Agencies, broadcasters, and media owners interested in contributing to upcoming workshops or learning more about this work are encouraged to get involved. To find out more or to express interest in participating, please contact our Industry Development & Insights Director, Marie-Clare, at puffett [at] iabeuorpe.eu for more information.