CTV advertising is becoming increasingly effective: study shows growing acceptance

The transformation of the television market is progressing steadily: Internet TV is establishing itself alongside traditional reception channels and turning the TV set into an active, multimedia hub in the living room. This is confirmed by the results of the ninth Advanced TV Study conducted by Azerion Austria and Goldvertise Media. For the current survey, 2,500 people between the ages of 16 and 69 in Austria and Germany were questioned in January 2026.

The analysis clearly shows that CTV has finally arrived at the center of everyday digital media life. In addition to the established market parameters, this year's survey also highlights new focal points: the mobile use of advanced TV offerings, second-screen behavior and shared use with children. Another focus is on the detailed perception of advertising and its impact within CTV offerings. The current edition thus provides a comprehensive database on access, awareness, use and advertising impact on CTV.

Usage time reaches linear TV level

A detailed look at the German data illustrates the market dynamics: at 94%, almost all TV households own at least one internet-enabled TV set. Smart TV remains the main access point at 68%, while mobile devices are gaining in importance with 24% of CTV usage. While the proportion of respondents who are aware of and use CTV services remains constant at a high level, usage time continues to increase and is now on a par with linear TV usage: at 2:32 hours versus 2:34 hours, users spend the same amount of time on linear TV and connected TV. There are differences here in the age groups: While 16- to 49-year-olds are already streaming for longer, 50- to 69-year-olds are spending longer on linear TV.

Target group and household-specific usage behavior

The use of CTV is strongly dependent on target groups and households. Households with children have the highest usage, while preferences differ significantly according to demographics and household type. Differences can be seen both in the number of apps used and in the preferred content genres. The use of CTV is more active, more conscious and more curated due to the large number of different apps and additional functions. The large selection of content is the most important usage driver with 85% approval, followed by time independence with 83%.

CTV is also clearly a shared medium. On average, 2.2 people sit together in front of the screen when using the additional functions. 90% of respondents use the additional functions at least occasionally together with children under the age of 16. At the same time, users' willingness to pay is increasing compared to the previous year. While more free apps were used in 2025, paid apps have now come to the fore with an average of 2.9 apps. The main drivers here are also 16 to 29-year-olds, large households with an average of 3.4 apps and households with children with an average of 3.3 apps, who can choose from an even greater variety of content as a result of this development.

Advertising on CTV is becoming increasingly effective

The perception, acceptance and relevance of advertising in the CTV environment are increasing among consumers: Two thirds of respondents have noticed advertising, almost half find advertising useful (53%) and helpful (48%) and 41% of respondents remember the advertising they have seen well. For a third of users, advertising on CTV even leads to a product purchase.

Overall, the results of the Advanced TV Study 2026 show that the increasing individualization of usage creates higher-quality advertising environments with greater attention and relevance. For advertisers, this means more precise targeting and measurably better impact.

The most important results of the study can be found on the Goldvertise www.goldvertise.com/ctv-studie download

About the study

Azerion Austria and Goldvertise Media are continuing the Advanced TV study series for Austria and Germany launched by the Goldbach Group in 2017. This year, 2,500 people (1,500 from Germany and 1,000 from Austria) aged between 16 and 69 took part in the study. They were surveyed online on the topics of «Awareness, type and use of connected TV», «Ownership of internet-enabled TV sets», «App use on internet-enabled TV sets» and «Perception and assessment of advertising in the area of additional functions on connected TV». The survey took place in January 2026.