CTV CPM Benchmarks 2026: $15-$85 by Industry (Real Data)
Connected TV is no longer the "emerging" channel media planners hedge with $20,000 test budgets. U.S. CTV ad spend is on pace to clear $38 billion in 2026, according to EMARKETER's December 2025 forecast, and the IAB projects 13.8% growth this year — second only to social. For the first time, CTV upfront commitments (~$17.7B) will exceed primetime linear TV upfronts (~$17.0B). The channel has graduated, and the question on every media director's desk is no longer "should we test CTV?" but "are our CTV numbers any good?"
This post answers that question. We pulled the most credible 2026 benchmarks from EMARKETER, IAB, Magna, Tatari, Adwave, FreeWheel, Skai, and Tinuiti, then layered in what we see across client accounts at North American Media Experts. The result is a working set of CTV advertising benchmarks for 2026 you can actually plan against — CPMs, video completion rates, ROAS, frequency, and incrementality — broken out by industry where the data supports it.
Why CTV benchmarks matter more in 2026 than they did in 2024
Two years ago, CTV was sold on reach and brand lift, and most advertisers measured it on reach and brand lift. That window is closed. Three things changed simultaneously:
- Inventory exploded. Prime Video's ad tier, Netflix's expansion, Disney+/Hulu integration, Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and the entire FAST ecosystem (Tubi, Pluto, Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus) flooded the market with impressions. Supply growth has compressed top-of-market CPMs and pulled mid-market CPMs into a tight band.
- Measurement matured. Shoppable formats on Amazon, Roku, and LG, identity resolution via UID2 and IAB Tech Lab standards, and clean-room integrations with retailer data have turned CTV into a measurable performance channel — not just an awareness channel.
- Budget gravity shifted. The Adworldnews 2026 advertiser survey found that roughly 70% of CTV advertisers are raising budgets this year. When that many buyers move the same direction, "average" performance becomes a moving target. Knowing where the bar actually sits in May 2026 is the difference between defending and growing your CTV budget in next year's planning cycle.
If you have not refreshed your benchmark deck since last year, almost every number in it is now stale. Here is the current picture.
CTV CPM benchmarks for 2026: what good looks like
Want help putting this into practice? North American Media Experts works with brands across Canada to run high-performing programmatic, CTV, paid search, and paid social campaigns. Book a free intro call with Ryan → or request a free paid media audit.
CTV pricing in 2026 sits in two clear tiers, with a long tail underneath. Aggregated across Adwave's 2026 update, R-Advertising's TV instream report, and what we see in DSP buys for clients:
- FAST and broad AVOD inventory: $15–$25 CPM. This is where most performance-led CTV dollars land in 2026. Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto, and Samsung TV Plus dominate this tier.
- Premium AVOD (Hulu, Peacock, Max, Paramount+, Prime Video): $25–$45 CPM for standard programmatic, $45–$65 CPM for direct-sold premium pods and live sports adjacency.
- Audience-targeted buys with first-party or retailer data: $45–$85 CPM. The "addressable" premium adds 25–60% on top of programmatic open-market pricing — and it is usually worth it.
- Linear TV comparison point: Tatari and FreeWheel data put broadcast/cable linear CPMs in the $10–$15 range in 2026, with daypart spikes for live sports and primetime news.
The headline takeaway: CTV CPMs run roughly 2x to 4x linear TV CPMs for comparable reach. That premium is only defensible if you are using CTV's actual advantages — household-level targeting, frequency capping, and digital-style attribution. If you are buying CTV as "linear plus internet," you are paying the premium and getting none of the upside. For a deeper breakdown of how programmatic pricing stacks across CPM, CPC, and CPV formats, see our analysis of programmatic advertising costs in 2026.
Video completion rate (VCR) benchmarks: the metric that separates real CTV from "CTV"
Video completion rate is the cleanest signal of CTV ad quality. Unskippable inventory on a big-screen TV produces completion rates digital video advertisers can only dream about.
- Average CTV VCR in 2026: 94–97% across premium AVOD inventory.
- Pre-roll completion (optimized campaigns): 85–92%.
- Mid-roll completion (premium AVOD): 94%+ — the highest-completion slot in the digital video ecosystem.
- FAST channel completion: 88–93%, slightly lower because of session-level churn.
- YouTube TV / connected YouTube on the big screen: 75–85% on skippable in-stream, 90%+ on bumpers and non-skippable.
If your CTV vendor is reporting completion rates below 85% on premium AVOD inventory, ask hard questions. Either the placements are not what they were sold as, or the campaign is running on long-tail FAST inventory mislabeled as premium. We have seen both — and the easy fix is a private marketplace deal with completion-rate floors baked into the agreement.
CTV CPM benchmarks by industry
Industry CPM variance on CTV is narrower than it is on paid search, but it is real. Inventory price is mostly set by audience demand, so verticals competing for the same affluent households pay more.
- Financial services and insurance: $38–$55 CPM.
- Auto: $32–$48 CPM.
- Pharma and healthcare: $30–$45 CPM.
- Retail and e-commerce: $22–$35 CPM.
- CPG and food/beverage: $18–$28 CPM.
- Travel and hospitality: $20–$32 CPM.
- Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands: $20–$30 CPM.
- B2B and SaaS: $35–$50 CPM.
CTV ROAS by industry: the new performance benchmarks
- Retail and CPG via retail-media CTV: 3.5x–5.0x measured ROAS.
- DTC e-commerce: 2.0x–3.5x ROAS.
- Travel and hospitality: 4.0x–7.0x on direct bookings.
- Financial services: $80–$250 CPA on qualified leads.
- Auto: $35–$90 cost per scheduled test-drive.
- B2B SaaS: 1.5x–2.5x measured ROAS over 90 days.
Frequency, reach, and incrementality benchmarks
The best-performing CTV campaigns cap at 3–5 impressions per household per week. Layering CTV on top of a linear TV plan produces up to 32% higher unique reach. Brands running formal hold-out tests report that CTV drives 2x–3x higher awareness lift than comparable linear-TV spend.
Creative benchmarks
- Optimal length: 15–30 seconds for prospecting, 6–15 seconds for retargeting.
- Branding in first 5 seconds: top-quartile creators surface the brand within the opening 5 seconds.
- QR codes and shoppable overlays: add 0.4–1.2 percentage points of attributable conversion when implemented well.
How to act on these CTV benchmarks
Three concrete moves for the next 30 days: re-baseline your current CTV plan against these numbers, restructure your buy across the two CTV tiers, and build a CTV incrementality test into Q3. If CTV is part of a broader cross-channel mix, it's worth comparing these numbers against your paid social benchmarks for Meta, TikTok, and LinkedIn — the two channels often complement each other for reach and retargeting. If you want a second set of eyes on your current CTV plan, our team at North American Media Experts builds, buys, and measures CTV programs across all the major DSPs and retail-media networks. Request a quote and a free CTV plan review and we will be in touch within one business day.
Want to run CTV campaigns for your brand?
NA Media Experts manages CTV advertising across premium SSPs and 13 DSPs. Get a free audit of your CTV strategy — we'll show you exactly where your CPMs, VCR, and ROAS sit relative to industry benchmarks.
Sources
Industry figures in this article are drawn from the organisations below. Campaign-level benchmarks reflect North American Media Experts client data.