In 2025, media buying is no longer about choosing between traditional and digital; it’s about choosing what works. And when it comes to TV advertising, the decision between Connected TV (CTV) and traditional broadcast is reshaping how marketers spend their budgets.
Whether you're a brand trying to reach households in Omaha or a regional business wanting visibility in Sioux City, the stakes are high: you need campaigns that perform, platforms that scale and results you can prove. So, which delivers better ROI in today’s market?
Let’s break it down.
What’s the Difference?
Traditional Broadcast TV delivers ads to anyone watching a channel at a given time, think your local CBS or NBC affiliate.
Connected TV (CTV) delivers ads through internet-connected devices like Roku, Hulu, YouTube TV, Amazon Fire and others. Viewers stream what they want, when they want, giving advertisers the ability to target by zip code, behavior and even past purchase intent.
Why ROI Looks Different in 2025
Traditional TV still reaches large audiences, but it’s not as trackable or as effective as it once was. CTV brings the same impact but adds digital-level precision.
Here's how they stack up:
Why Marketers Are Making the Switch
More Targeting. Less Wasted Spend.
With CTV, you can narrow your audience by zip code, household income, interests and more. That means no more paying for viewers who will never be your customers. And if you're running integrated campaigns with streaming audio or digital out-of-home (DOOH), you can build visibility with zero guesswork.
Track What Actually Happens
Forget Nielsen estimates. CTV campaigns deliver trackable performance metrics: how many people viewed your ad, how many clicked and what actions they took after. You can even retarget users who watched your video ad on other digital platforms, building a full-funnel strategy that traditional TV can’t support.
Flexible Creative = Smarter Campaigns
CTV lets you test multiple creative versions, optimize messaging and adjust mid-campaign. Compare that to broadcast, where ad slots are fixed and updates require expensive production changes.
When Broadcast Still Works
To be clear, we’re not anti-broadcast. There are still moments when traditional TV makes sense:
- Major sports events or local news sponsorships
- Mass-market seasonal campaigns
- Brand visibility plays in specific verticals
But if your goals include trackability, ROI or geographic targeting, CTV is the better bet, hands down.
Ready to Ditch the Waste?
We make it easy to launch smarter campaigns with Connected TV, audio, digital OOH and on-demand direct mail, all under one roof. Whether you’re just testing the waters or ready to overhaul your media mix, we can help.
