Observed Signal · Oct 2, 2025 · Measurement Report · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Pixalate: 18% of CTV Ad Spend Lost to Fraud
A Pixalate report finds the global connected TV (CTV) ad market reached $5.7 billion in Q2 2025, with 18% of that spend lost to invalid traffic (IVT). Total CTV spend fell about 3% year-over-year. Fraud rates vary widely by device and region: Samsung Smart TVs showed the highest IVT at 39%, Roku the lowest at 12%, and Latin America the riskiest region at 30% IVT. The report highlights identity gaps in the CTV supply chain — notably a large share of ad calls routed through unofficial or “unmapped” Bundle IDs (19% on Roku) and low adoption of app-ads.txt, which reduce transparency. Pixalate’s platform rankings show Hulu leading valid ad dollars on Roku and Pluto TV leading on Amazon Fire TV. The findings underscore persistent measurement and trust issues across the CTV ecosystem.
The report quantifies large-scale invalid traffic and device/region-specific fraud in CTV, highlighting measurement and identity gaps that materially affect advertiser trust and media allocation across the growing CTV channel.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Global CTV ad market was $5.7 billion in Q2 2025 according to Pixalate.
- 18% of CTV ad spend in Q2 2025 was lost to invalid traffic (IVT).
- CTV ad spending declined about 3% year-over-year in Q2 2025.
- Device and regional IVT rates reported: Samsung Smart TVs 39%, Roku 12%, Latin America 30%.
- 19% of Roku ad calls used non-official or 'unmapped' Bundle IDs, creating supply-chain identity risks.
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MMMs Can Tell You If CTV Worked.
Marketing mix models (MMMs) are gaining attention as an alternative to click-centric measurement, particularly for Connected TV (CTV). They can indicate whether CTV contributed to growth, but a channel-level readout often hides significant operational complexity and can be misleading. A campaign may run across numerous networks, segments, and devices, and the same channel label can encompass very different executions. Using MMMs as arbiters of judgment rather than calibration tools can lead to wrong budget decisions, especially when geo-tests are contaminated by imperfect location signals. The article argues that MMMs are a valuable counterweight to platform-reported attribution but should be sequenced with more granular diagnostics to understand why performance occurred, looking at network mix, audience, frequency, and creative. The goal is to use MMMs to sharpen questions rather than end them.
Pluto TV Adds 200+ Horror Movies for Halloween
Pluto TV, Paramount's free ad-supported streaming service, is launching its largest-ever horror collection for October 2026. Beginning October 1, the 'Halloween Hits' on-demand library will feature over 200 titles spanning slashers, supernatural thrillers, found-footage films, horror-comedies, and franchise entries. Key groupings include the 'Scream' series celebrating its 30th anniversary, 'Friday the 13th' and 'Sleepaway Camp' franchises, 'Paranormal Activity' installments, Stephen King adaptations, early 'Resident Evil' films, and a 'Lighter Haunts' section with horror-comedies. The lineup also includes $100M box-office hits like 'World War Z' and 'A Quiet Place Part II', debuting October 11. Dedicated themed linear channels will complement the VOD offering. The collection mixes recent hits like 'Hereditary' and 'Talk to Me' with classics from the 1960s-1990s.
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