The news: Pinterest is buying ad tech startup tvScientific to fuse its intent-rich audience with a performance-grade connected TV (CTV) engine—a move that transforms TV from broad reach to measurable, outcome-driven advertising. ​​Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

The deal gives Pinterest’s 600 million monthly users a new role in the ad stack: Fueling CTV targeting and attribution with real planning and shopping signals. Pinterest says advertisers will soon measure TV with the same clarity they expect from search and social.

Zooming in: Pinterest’s strength is predictive intent. Users save Pins to over 15 billion boards, giving its AI models a window into what people plan to buy next. Pairing that data with tvScientific’s outcome-based CTV platform means advertisers can run TV campaigns that tie directly to conversions.

• tvScientific brings deterministic attribution, automated media buying, and AI optimization to a medium long defined by soft metrics.
• Pinterest will integrate CTV into its Performance+ suite, positioning itself as a unified search, social, and TV performance channel.
• The first phase focuses on scaling in the US ahead of a global rollout.

This acquisition lets advertisers reach high-intent shoppers across screens and measure outcomes with the precision of digital channels. It also makes CTV more accessible to smaller brands that lack resources for big-budget TV campaigns.

The caveat: While shoppable content is a priority for Pinterest, some businesses are still unconvinced of its performance. 

Only 29% of US business owners consider shoppable Pins a major driver of engagement, compared with 37% for researching trends and audience insights, according to an April 2025 Adobe survey. 

Why it matters for marketers: Brands need clearer proof that TV drives performance, and Pinterest is betting its intent graph can close the loop.

• Marketers gain cross-screen attribution and outcome-based buying for TV.
• tvScientific’s self-serve model democratizes CTV, lowering barriers for mid-market advertisers.
• Pinterest unlocks new demand by extending its audience beyond its own platform.

Pinterest interweaving intent data with performance CTV reframes TV as a measurable demand engine. It’s a bid to win budget from search and social by offering unified targeting, automation, and attribution across screens.

Advertisers should use Pinterest intent data to target by mindset, not demographics. Build cross-screen creative paths that move users from inspiration to checkout. Prioritize outcome-based buying to validate TV’s ROI.