Last week we hosted a webinar with AdWeek and special guest Jeremy Varner, SVP, Programmatic Operations, Strategy & Sales at TelevisaUnivision, where we explored how Connected TV (CTV) has evolved into a primary engine for full-funnel marketing.
TripleLift’s Director of CTV, Chris Houston, kicked off the conversation with a deep dive into the current state of the market.
While fragmented, premium content is everywhere, US consumers today manage 7 subscriptions on average, and with over 50% of total viewership now happening on CTV, overtaking broadcast and cable, the market has officially reached critical mass.
CTV is winning thanks to its consumer-friendly formula. With platforms like YouTube capturing 13% of total viewership, the environment is primed for higher attention. It’s not surprising that a host of new, dynamic formats are inspiring advertisers to think of the big screen as a full-funnel channel, with more lower-funnel, performance-driven activations appearing by the day.
“The market right now is a kaleidoscope of innovation and creativity. We’re seeing beautiful, scalable formats that require minimal creative lift, effectively expanding the creative canvas for both advertisers and publishers,” said Chris Houston, Director of CTV at TripleLift.
In this new world, multiple new units have gained traction – In-Show, Shoppable, Pause Ads, Social-inspired, HomeScreens, etc. And the market is also pressure-checking what’s viable and what’s performing. The IAB Tech Lab is working to standardize these to ensure interoperability and speed to market.
Here is the breakdown of key actionable items that Houston and Varner discussed during the webinar to help you win in 2026.
Actionable Strategies for 2026
To achieve creative excellence, your strategy must elevate the consumer experience, drive measurable impact, and support publisher monetization. Here is how to do it:
1. Traditional Spots + New Formats = Success
Don’t choose between traditional spots and new formats, combine them. Layering custom units (like In-Show or Pause Ads) with standard :15 and :30s spots moves the needle on everything from awareness to purchase intent.
“This strategic approach helps marketers maximize their investment by creating that ‘peanut butter & chocolate moment’, the combination of higher attention and stronger engagement,” commented Houston.
2. Lean into Live Content and Cultural Fandom
Live programming remains the ultimate engagement tool. Jeremy Varner of TelevisaUnivision highlighted that sports and live reality content (like their 24/7 reality show) are the best ways to reach younger, harder-to-find demographics. He noted they’re further cultivating a youthful audience via ~40 “microdramas” created over the last 6 months.
“It’s all about how we’re using content to drive engagement among those young audiences and then using high-impact formats (In-Show, Pause Ads, etc.) to allow brands to reach them,” said Varner.
Looking ahead to this year’s biggest sports moment, the FIFA World Cup 2026, Varner shared that while TelevisiaUnivision won’t be streaming the matches, it’s looking to other opportunities to capitalize on the moment. This includes capitalizing on creator-led partnerships (like its work with Mr Beast) to bridge the gap between traditional sports and digital-native audiences.
3. Optimize Workflows with AI
AI isn’t just for making art, it’s for making your workflow smarter. TelevisaUnivision uses an AI agent to review deals in real-time and alert sellers if spend is lagging behind.
The takeaway: take advantage of agentic workflows to optimize mundane operations. Use AI to automate repetitive tasks like creative versioning for local markets or monitoring deal health so your team can focus on high-level strategy.
4. Prioritize Programmatic Interoperability
IAB Tech Lab is already standardizing formats like Pause Ads and In-Show formats to ensure they work everywhere. Your focus should be on ad units that can be executed programmatically. This ensures you can scale your creative across the kaleidoscope of streamers, FAST channels, and OEMs without rebuilding for every platform.
As we look toward 2026, the goal is simple: creating value for advertisers, publishers and customers alike. Whether it’s balancing ad load to prevent viewer fatigue or using AI to service advertisers faster, the most successful brands will be those that treat CTV as a core platform rather than a nice-to-have add-on.
Want to know more about how creative is redefining CTV advertising? Let’s get connected.
