Streaming TV and out-of-home are growing at the same time, and for the same reason: both now pair big-screen attention with digital-style targeting and measurement. The IAB projects U.S. connected TV (CTV) ad spend at $29.3 billion in 2026, up 11% (IAB, via PPC Land). Out-of-home (OOH) just posted its first $3 billion quarter, with digital screens up 18.5% (OAAA, via PPC Land).
Growth is not the same as results, though. Plenty of brands are spending more on both channels without getting more out of them. These five approaches are the ones earning their budget right now. For each, we share the evidence and where that evidence is thin.
1. Plan CTV and digital OOH as one audience, not two buys
The brands getting the most from these channels have stopped treating them as separate line items. The same person who sees a transit screen on the commute is on the couch streaming that night. Planning for that person, instead of for each screen, is the shift.
Buyers are already moving this way. In VIOOH’s 2026 survey of 1,050 advertisers and agencies, 89% said they plan programmatic digital OOH as part of wider programmatic activity. U.S. buyers expect it to appear in 52% of their campaigns over the next 18 months, up from 34% (VIOOH, via PPC Land). One caution: VIOOH sells programmatic OOH, so read this as buyer intent, not proof of performance.
What it looks like in practice:
- One audience definition used across both channels, so reporting compares like with like.
- Sequenced roles. OOH builds familiarity in a market. CTV tells the longer story to the same people.
- Shared frequency limits. EMARKETER’s 2026 guidance is to coordinate frequency across streaming services so viewers are not overexposed (EMARKETER). The same logic applies across screens.
This is how our own media planning team is set up at Zozimus: one plan covering digital, CTV, OOH and traditional channels, rather than a plan per channel. The structure matters more than the tools.
2. Give the viewer something to do
CTV’s biggest weakness is that you cannot click a TV. In the IAB’s 2026 buyer survey, the top obstacles to conversion were the lack of click-through (39%) and the need for a second device (38%) (IAB, via PPC Land). Interactive formats are the working answer.
Engagement per impression on interactive CTV ads nearly doubled in a year, from 1% in Q2 2024 to 1.94% in Q2 2025. Pause ads, which appear when a viewer pauses a show, lifted unaided recall by 34% (EMARKETER). Both figures come from BrightLine, which sells interactive ad technology, so treat them as directional.
What tends to work:
- A QR code with a reason to scan. An offer, a locator or a sample request beats “learn more.” Keep it on screen long enough to grab a phone.
- Pause ads for simple messages. The viewer has already stopped watching, so the ad is not an interruption.
- Matching the ask to the format. A 30-second spot can carry a story. An overlay can carry one action.
A realistic limit: 35% of buyers in the same IAB survey said shoppable formats still lack scale. Interactive works best as a tested layer on a campaign, not the whole plan.
3. Measure OOH like a performance channel, with a longer window
OOH has long been filed under awareness. Newer measurement says it also moves people to act, if you give it enough time to show up in the data.
An OAAA and Kochava study of hundreds of campaigns found a median lift of 20% for in-person outcomes, such as store visits, and 14% for digital outcomes, such as site visits. CTV and broadcast TV each came in around 10%. Response also resurfaced on a seven-day cycle after exposure (OAAA and Kochava, via Digital Signage Today). The OAAA is the OOH trade association, so the comparison with TV deserves some skepticism. The practical point holds either way: short attribution windows undercount OOH.
What it looks like in practice:
- Longer lookback windows. Judge OOH over weeks, not days.
- Market tests. Run OOH in some markets and hold others back, then compare search, site and sales trends.
- A seat in the model. If your marketing mix model has no OOH input, it will credit OOH’s effect to search and social.
That last point is one we care about. Zozimus Predict, our forecasting model, takes in billboard metrics alongside paid search, display, email and CRM data, so offline media is weighed with everything else rather than left out.
4. Let context shape the creative
A digital screen can change its message by the hour. Most campaigns still run one ad everywhere. That gap is the opportunity.
In VIOOH’s survey, 65% of buyers associated programmatic OOH with dynamic creative, meaning ads that adapt to signals like time, weather or location. Only 11% of U.S. respondents actually use it. The stated barriers were training (49%), budget (47%) and limited creative resource (46%) (VIOOH, via PPC Land). On the video side, 62% of buyers now use generative AI for creative, up from 51% a year ago, which is lowering the cost of making versions (IAB, via PPC Land).
You do not need a complex setup to start:
- Pick two or three triggers. Time of day, weather and distance to a location cover most use cases.
- Build one modular template. Swap the headline, image or offer. Keep the brand elements fixed.
- Carry it to CTV. Regional or seasonal versions of one spot apply the same idea to streaming.
The barrier is rarely the technology. It is that media and creative teams plan separately, so no one owns the versions. Putting both in the same brief solves most of it.
5. Pay for inventory you can verify
Cheap reach is easy to find on both channels. Knowing where the ad actually ran is harder, and buyers are starting to choose on that basis.
The IAB’s 2026 survey found that only 57% of buyers have high confidence in inventory transparency, even with the most trusted CTV buying methods, such as publisher-direct and programmatic guaranteed deals. For the open exchange, that drops to 33%. Low-confidence buyers named fraud (56%) and being unable to verify the publisher (48%) as their main concerns (IAB, via PPC Land).
What to ask for:
- Reporting by app or channel on CTV. If a partner cannot say where the ad ran, assume the answer is not flattering.
- Direct or curated deals for most of the budget. Use the open exchange for testing and reach extension.
- The math behind OOH impressions. One screen reaches many people, so impressions are estimated. Ask how the estimate is made and who audits it.
A slightly higher CPM on inventory you can verify usually beats a low one on inventory you cannot.
Where to start
You do not need all five at once. A sensible first test is small and specific:
- Choose one market and one audience. A single metro area is enough to learn from.
- Decide how you will measure before you launch. Set the lookback window, the comparison market and the outcomes that count.
- Run both channels against the same audience for a full cycle. Six to eight weeks gives OOH time to register.
- Add one upgrade. A QR offer on CTV or a time-of-day creative swap on OOH. Not both.
The common thread across all five strategies is that CTV and OOH work best when they are planned, built and measured together. That is less about budget than about who is in the room when the plan is made.
If you want a second opinion on how your current mix is set up, Zozimus offers a complimentary marketing audit. Otherwise, we hope the checklist above is useful on its own.
