An Opportunity in the Middle of the Living Room: the Adoption of CTV in Brazil

In recent years, Latin America has become an increasingly fertile ground for innovation on media consumption, with Brazil often appearing at the forefront of these studies due to its regional prominence. The region shows particular dynamism in how people adopt new technologies and integrate them into their daily lives, and market research is a central part of understanding those dynamics. Connected TV (CTV) is a great example. This article explores the rise of CTV in Brazil, the habits that define its audience, and the new opportunities this creates for brands and advertisers.

CTV in Brazil: The Impact and Opportunities

It is common to hear around that the internet has arrived to overthrow television, but when stopping to analyze calmly the reality is that the way of consuming content on TV is transforming, with the internet as the great propeller of this change. In this scenario, a fundamental concept created back in the 1960s has become essential: CTV, or Connected TV, and Brazil is at the center of attention, since the Latin American country has reached relevant consumption levels internationally, especially with the popularization of streaming services.

But what is this so-called Connected TV? As the name already points out, CTV refers to any TV device that connects to the internet to transmit video and audio content. This can occur through the well-known Smart TVs, or even game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox), in addition to attached streaming devices and decoders such as Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire Stick.

Different from “broadcast,” in which both the content that is watched and the advertising, which takes the name of commercial, are equally distributed to the public through the TV signal, now the individual choice matters quite a bit more. Which movie to watch? On which streaming service? Which music to put in the living room during the party? This way of consuming has shaken the area of entertainment, technology companies and of course, revolutionized the way of thinking about advertising and distributing it on these new devices.

A survey conducted by ComScore in 2024 showed that in Brazil 64% of internet users are CTV viewers, which revealed a growth of 14% compared to the year 2023. Of these, 97% of them own a Smart TV, currently the main way of accessing services connected to the internet through the small screens. Allied to this, a report from Magnite pointed out that 91% of Brazilians interviewed (1,648 internet users) access at least once a week some streaming service.

Understanding Habits

Going deeper, ComScore’s 2024 survey showed that Brazil occupies a prominent position within Latin America — and even worldwide — when speaking of CTV. Conducted in October 2024 with more than 3 thousand active viewers in Brazil, the report revealed that CTV penetration in the country surpasses the Latin American average, which was 59% during the year, reaching the previously mentioned 64%. In addition, Brazilians’ habits were broken down and showed interesting characteristics of this new way of watching TV.

The data show that Brazilians watch, on average, 4 hours of content per day on CTV, concentrated especially between 7 p.m. and midnight. In this interval, 71% consume movies, 65% series and 39% sports. And who are these viewers? According to the report, more than half of the adults (59%) who watch CTV in the country are between 25 and 44 years old.

Amid so many changes, there is continuity. The living room continues to be the main place for this leisure and entertainment equipment, even in the case of TV connected to the internet. 75% of those interviewed by ComScore consider that watching CTV in the living room is the best option to enjoy movies and series.

The Magnite study, in turn, showed that the adoption of Connected TV is consolidated even in Brazilians’ perception and seems to be a habit that has already taken root. An example of this conscious choice for CTV is that 78% of those interviewed state that they watch more streaming now compared to a year ago. And there's more: 82% say that if they could keep only one service, they would keep streaming instead of traditional broadcast.

Advertising Designed for Streaming: What Changes?

With all the changes in the way of consuming TV, marketing has produced new types of advertising content aimed at occupying this already so beloved space that is Connected TV. Some characteristics change in this scenario, and in such a way that brands have focused on the so-called VOD, Video On Demand, aimed at the various streaming services.

The personalization of ads through the analysis of user consumption data and even the use of mapping by artificial intelligence has been the main strategy applied to reach the heart of those watching a movie or series in their living room, or even among those in the middle of an online video game match. The primetime commercial of linear TV is still coveted, but when thinking of advertising for CTV, more than the schedule, what is sought is to reach the audience in a very well-targeted and delimited way.

Some streamings, for example, have already adhered to ads that pause the content and need to be watched for a certain time until the public can skip and continue watching the scenes. There are studies behind this. As bothersome as it may seem to be interrupted by advertising in the middle of the series or movie, there is already an acceptance of these interferences if this translates into a lower subscription price, for example. But there are still other ways of integrating brands into this moment of consumption that have been pointed out by analysts, such as insertions within the series or movie itself or even “content pills” that sound more natural to the viewer.

Conclusion

Watching TV is no longer as before with the popularization of devices that allow access to the internet through this traditionally beloved device. In Latin America, Brazil emerges as a country with the largest number of adopters of Connected TV or CTV, opening opportunities mainly for the investments of brands in streaming services, which are the talk of the moment. Different from commercials for broadcast, the ads gain new models and a bet on personalization for the user.