The holiday season continues to take on a new shape as shoppers become more intentional, more digitally influenced, and more eager to discover brands early in their journey. People are watching more streaming content, browsing across multiple devices, and responding to ads that feel relevant and well timed. As the competition for attention rises, Connected TV (CTV) gives marketers a powerful opportunity to blend the visual impact of television with the precision of data-driven digital advertising. With more households streaming than ever before, CTV provides a direct path to capturing interest and guiding shoppers toward meaningful action during the busiest retail months of the year.
Connected TV advertising’s landscape
Streaming continues to dominate TV viewing habits as more households shift away from traditional linear content. CTV video streaming has nearly doubled since last year, and with 88 percent of U.S. households owning a CTV device according to Leichtman Research Group, the opportunity to reach engaged viewers continues to expand.
A 2025 Nielsen report found that streaming represents 43.8 percent of total TV time in the United States, confirming its position as the primary viewing format for most households.
Investment trends reinforce this momentum. A 2025 global marketer survey from Madhive shows that 56 percent of marketers plan to increase OTT and CTV spending, and U.S. local CTV ad spend is expected to reach 3 billion dollars.
To access this growing audience, advertisers typically activate campaigns through private marketplace (PMP) deals. PMP inventory provides premium placements with fewer competitors and more control over publisher environments. This makes it easier to secure high-quality impressions and tailor inventory selections to match campaign goals.
Choozle supports this need by offering curated CTV PMP deals directly inside the platform. More information is available in the Connected TV Advertising Overview.
Measuring and Optimizing Connected TV
CTV is transforming TV measurement by offering transparency that traditional TV has never been able to provide. While linear ads offer limited insight, CTV provides detailed metrics including household-level reach, frequency caps, video completion rates, device interactions, and conversion tracking.
A 2025 eMarketer holiday advertising study reports that 34 percent of CTV viewers say streaming TV ads help them discover gift ideas, and 69 percent want TV ads that make purchasing easier.
With these insights, marketers can optimize spend across PMP deals, adjust creative, refine audiences, and respond to real-time performance shifts throughout the holiday period.
Choozle provides tools to support these optimization efforts and offers more guidance in the blog about navigating fragmented CTV environments.
Winning the Holiday Season with High-Impact Connected TV Advertising
Understand the multi-phase holiday season
Modern holiday shopping spans a wider window than ever. A 2025 Amazon Ads study found that 42 percent of shoppers begin holiday buying before Thanksgiving, 27 percent shop during the Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday period, and 31 percent shop after Cyber Monday through the New Year.
These shifts highlight the need for phased campaigns that include early awareness, peak performance moments, and strong post holiday retargeting.
Leverage CTV retargeting to improve efficiency
CTV retargeting helps marketers reach people who have already interacted with their brand or explored similar products. Because CTV uses deterministic or probabilistic cross device matching, users can view an ad on their TV and then encounter related messaging on mobile or desktop shortly after. This sequential approach improves recall and conversion while minimizing wasted impressions.
Use high-impact creative built for the big screen
A 2025 analysis from Smartly.io projects that viewers will spend 2 hours and 35 minutes per day watching streaming content.
To capitalize on this attention, advertisers should build creative that uses eye-catching visuals, clear branding, and interactive elements such as QR codes or shoppable experiences. Seasonal storytelling works especially well for early phase campaigns, while promotional and urgency-focused messaging performs best during peak shopping weeks.
Final Thoughts
CTV is no longer an emerging channel. In 2025 it has become one of the most influential forces shaping how holiday shoppers discover brands, compare options, and make purchase decisions. What has shifted most is the level of intelligence behind CTV campaigns. Marketers now rely on household-level data, advanced attribution, and predictive audience modeling that allow them to optimize performance as the season unfolds. At the same time, viewers are engaging more with interactive and shoppable formats, which means CTV is shaping both brand awareness and measurable outcomes across the full holiday journey.
The continued rise of ad-supported streaming, retail media integrations, and cross-device visibility means advertisers have more ways than ever to reach motivated shoppers with relevant, high impact creative. Brands that leverage CTV strategically will be better equipped to stay competitive, maintain visibility throughout the extended shopping window, and convert attention into meaningful results.
If you want to elevate your holiday marketing with smarter, more effective CTV campaigns, connect with Choozle today to explore how CTV can enhance your strategy for the season ahead.
