Key stat: Nearly 30% of US marketers prioritize demographic targeting for CTV ads, almost three times more than contextual approaches, according to July 2025 data from Gracenote.

Beyond the chart:

• Despite 52% of brands shifting at least a quarter of their paid media budgets to CTV in the past three years, only 11% are prioritizing channel-level contextual targeting, according to Gracenote.
• Meanwhile, interactive ad formats are gaining traction as a way to cut through the noise. Interactive CTV ads boost unaided recall by 36% and brand affinity by 33%, according to BrightLine.

Use this chart:Drop this into your next CTV planning meeting to set expectations around targeting capabilities. Show clients why demographic-based buys still dominate and where contextual fits in your media mix. Use it to benchmark your targeting strategy against industry norms.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Digital Advertising Trends to Watch in 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• US TV and Connected TV Ad Spending Forecasts H2 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the October 2025 Gracenote report titled "Context is king: Recapturing scale without sacrificing premium reach in CTV advertising." 600 US brand and agency professionals were surveyed online during July 10-20, 2025. All respondents had titles of director or above, and had oversight or influence on marketing and advertising spend.