Observed Signal · Jul 15, 2026 · Product Launch · Source: https://martechseries.com/feed/ · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Adstra Launches ID Connection Strength; CTV Identity Gap
Adstra announced ID Connection Strength (ICS), a configurable scoring framework that verifies the quality of identity links before campaign activation. Adstra partnered with InterMedia Advertising to validate ICS using programmatic CTV campaign data. ICS scores connections from 1 (strongest) to 6 (weakest) across five dimensions (recency, frequency, signal integrity, congruency, cardinality) and covers identifier types including HEMs, UID2s, MAIDs, CTV IDs, TTD Cookies, and IPs. The joint study found person-linked CTV IDs with high ICS scores maintained a 71% person-link stability versus 57% for IP-based mapping (a 24% stability premium). The research also found only 23% of residential IP addresses targeted without ICS reached the intended geography. The article cites industry forecasts (eMarketer) and a Truthset report on identity-data waste to contextualize the potential impact on CTV ad spend.
Introduces a new identity-quality scoring framework and joint research showing measurable CTV identity accuracy differences (71% vs. 57%) that could reduce wasted spend and improve targeting, but it is a company product launch rather than an industry-platform policy change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Adstra launched ID Connection Strength (ICS), a scoring framework to verify identity link quality before campaign activation.
- Adstra partnered with InterMedia Advertising to deploy ICS across programmatic CTV campaign data for a joint research study.
- ICS scores run from 1 (highest connection strength) to 6 (lowest) and evaluate five dimensions: recency, frequency, signal integrity, congruency, and cardinality.
- The joint study found 71% of high-ICS CTV IDs maintained their link to the same person across measurement windows versus 57% for legacy IP mapping (24% stability premium).
- The study found just 23% of residential IP addresses reached the intended geographic target when targeted without ICS guidance.
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mapped“According to EMARKETER’s December 2025 forecast, U.S. CTV ad spending is projected to reach $37.95 billion in 2026....”
“Truthset’s 2026 State of Data Accuracy report finds roughly 40% of every open-auction CTV dollar is wasted due to inaccurate identity data....”
“Author: PRNewswire...”
“The article was published on MarTech Series (publisher) and carries the headline about Adstra launching ID Connection Strength....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
IP-Based CTV Targeting Fails 75% of Time
New research from identity resolution vendor Adstra and indie media agency InterMedia Advertising finds that IP-based connected TV (CTV) targeting is frequently inaccurate. The study reports that only 23% of residential IP addresses reached their intended geographic target and that device-level CTV identifiers were more stable over time (71%) than IP addresses (57%). The authors argue that opaque IP-to-household mapping methods waste media spend and propose a new reliability framework, ID Connection Strength (ICS), which scores identifiers 1–6 across five criteria. ICS has been in testing since January with select brands and agencies and is expected to be more widely available in the third quarter of 2026.
Critics Say Email-Based IDs Don’t Work for CTV
AdExchanger examines industry skepticism about using email-based alternative IDs for Connected TV (CTV). Critics say email IDs, while viable as cookie replacements for display, are ill-suited to CTV’s one-to-many viewing contexts and often rely on third‑party-sourced emails rather than publisher first‑party logins. The article spotlights a recent Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) encryption error at The Trade Desk that rendered a publisher’s UID2 tokens useless for three months, and reports firsthand accounts that some FAST channels and publishers purchase emails from data brokers to build IDs. Experts including Mike Richter and Ana Milicevic call for greater transparency, stronger QA/governance, shared test harnesses and improved measurement to validate ID integrity and performance in CTV.
UID2: The Future of CTV Advertising Unveiled
UID2 is becoming essential in connected TV (CTV) as advertising shifts from third-party cookies toward open Web identity solutions. Walled Gardens offer scale but higher costs and opaque measurement, boosting interest in ID-based approaches. Procter & Gamble reportedly tested UID2 implementations from NetID and Utiq, signaling rising ID relevance. An ID5 study finds 91% of market participants already use cookie alternatives or plan tests, and 67% focus on IDs for non-addressable traffic. In Europe, UID2 is often called EUID, a governance/hosting/compliance layer atop UID2. UID2 promises reduced waste, more precise lookalike models, and stronger omni-channel activation, especially across CTV and mobile, with tight DSP integration via The Trade Desk. Reported performance uplifts of 20–30% versus cookies and CPA-focused metrics in iGaming reinforce UID2’s industry case.
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