Connected TV: Data, AI, and New Formats for Brands
Connected TV is revolutionizing the way brands communicate on the biggest screen in the home. The spread of connected TVs, smartphones, and second screens is making viewing increasingly fragmented, personalized, and cross-device: how are companies' communication strategies changing in this new scenario?
In recent years, TV has moved from linear to streaming, transforming the Connected TV in a strategic space for data-driven and interactive campaigns. According to Samsung Ads' "Behind the Screens 2025" report, streaming now accounts for almost half of the time spent on Samsung TVs in Italy, with a peak in the evening between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM: during this time slot, TV usage increases by 22%, while mobile usage grows by 28% compared to the daily average.
Vision thus becomes permanently cross-device and the second screen becomes part of habitual viewing habits. The most evident trend in Connected TV It's fragmentation: according to the study “Anatomy of a Streamer,” a family uses an average of four apps (two SVOD, one AVOD, and one BVOD), with 120 possible combinations among the top 10 most used apps, which become 2,112 considering the top 20.
In this context, where consumers move between devices and moments of use, the first challenge for brands is to reach the audience in the right context, adapting language, creativity, and formats. The second challenge is to capture attention during the browsing phase, when the user decides which content to watch: this is where a significant part of the value of the brand is played out. Connected TV for marketing.
Connected TV and the role of data in new television advertising
In such a dynamic and fragmented ecosystem, the Connected TV It opens up new opportunities for targeted audience reach thanks to first-party data. First-party data, enriched with certified usage signals and integrated with other sources, becomes the key lever for planning effective campaigns, reducing waste, and improving measurement.
Tools like Samsung Ads' Insights Planner enable TV planners to gain specific insights into Connected TV and, in particular, on the behaviors of audiences not exposed to the linear campaign. This allows us to optimize future planning for both linear and connected TV, working with a Total TV approach.
The tool is based on proprietary first-party data and technology Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) from Samsung, supplemented by third-party data. This allows advertisers to understand which devices have been exposed to a specific linear TV advertising campaign and combine that information with behavioral and demographic signals.
This approach allows you to optimize the coverage and frequency of your campaigns on Connected TV, increasing incremental reach and reducing over-frequency and budget dispersion. The Total TV approach overcomes the traditional division between linear TV and streaming, shifting the focus from scale alone to audience relevance.
For marketers, the availability of granular data on behavior and content consumption enables much more precise segmentation. It's possible, for example, to identify clusters of users not reached by linear TV and activate them through Connected TV with dedicated creativity, maximizing the incremental effect of the campaigns.
Artificial intelligence and personalization of the experience on Connected TV
Artificial intelligence is already an integral part of programmatic advertising, but it performs best when guided by a clear strategy and informed human control. Connected TV This balance between automation, creativity, and insights is crucial to generating not only scale, but also accuracy and relevance.
In the Samsung ecosystem, first-party segments from Samsung mobile, which can be integrated during the planning phase, allow for the construction of relevant audiences right from the start. AI models are then integrated into this foundation, fueled by cross-device data, to reveal segments that share behaviors across multiple devices or content affinities, expanding the potential of the Connected TV.
Overlaying ACR-based CTV data with mobile-derived insights allows you to identify new audience clusters that media teams wouldn't have identified manually. This is where AI creates real value: it enables scalable personalization, with measurable results along the entire funnel, from brand awareness to action.
However, even in the context Connected TV, Technology can tell what people do, but the marketer's expertise remains the reason. Artificial intelligence doesn't replace strategy: it amplifies messages designed with empathy, cultural relevance, and context, improving user experience and campaign effectiveness.
In this scenario, brands can intercept the user before entering the content with formats that bring exposure and action closer, for example by combining video ads, interactive elements and calls to action on the second screen (smartphone). Connected TV It thus becomes a hub of personalized and measurable experiences, especially when integrated with other digital channels.
Interactive Formats and Gaming on Connected TV: The GameBreaks Case
A key evolution of the Connected TV It involves introducing interactive formats within commercial breaks, capable of increasing engagement and brand recall. Samsung is experimenting with this direction with GameBreaks, which transforms advertising spaces on Samsung TV Plus into short, interactive gaming experiences controlled by the remote control.
The recent Domino's campaign, the first GameBreaks activation in Europe, transformed the commercial into a pizza-themed quiz: a multiple-choice question with a real-time reveal, followed by a 10-second video dedicated to the launch of a new product. Within the ecosystem Connected TV, this format generated a 3.84% engagement rate and a 31% increase in brand consideration.
These results are consistent with studies of Media Science, which highlight a +53% of unaided brand recall and an 89% preference of viewers for interactive breaks over traditional ones. For brands, the Connected TV It therefore becomes a channel not only for exposure, but for active participation, with clear metrics on engagement and recall.
An additional advantage of this approach is the ability to better manage frequency, dispersion and measurement along the funnel. By connecting the Connected TV Using signals from other screens, you can more accurately attribute the impact of your campaigns, from exposure to brand searches to actions on your site or app.
To enable this sequence, Samsung opted-in to integrate usage data from over 20 million smartphones with insights from over 70 million active Samsung Smart TVs in Europe. This enables more precise first-party targeting (including by app category), deterministic mobile measurement (exposed vs. unexposed), and lookalike models to extend campaign reach. Connected TV.
Cross-device data and advanced measurement in Connected TV
The true strength of the Connected TV This emerges when cross-device data is combined consistently, respecting user privacy and choices. The integration between Smart TVs and smartphones allows us to follow the user's journey from discovery on the big screen to action on mobile, paving the way for deterministic performance measurement.
Thanks to opt-in data on over 20 million smartphones and 70 million active Smart TVs in Europe, brands can build more refined targeting and retargeting strategies. In practice, this means audience segments based on app usage, interests, and video consumption patterns, which can be activated in a coordinated manner across Connected TV and mobile devices.
For marketers, this translates into three main benefits: more precise first-party targeting, accurate measurement of exposed vs. unexposed groups, and the ability to create lookalikes to scale campaigns while maintaining relevance. Connected TV it is no longer just an extension of linear TV, but a fundamental piece of the omnichannel strategy.
Looking ahead, this convergence between data, AI, and interactive formats makes Smart TV one of the most strategic spaces in the media mix. To delve deeper into the technological and market context of digital TV and streaming, it's also useful to monitor analytics. Statistician on the TV and streaming industry and the updated definitions of Connected TV.
Connected TV: Impact on Marketing and Business
There Connected TV It has a direct impact on digital marketing strategies and brands' investment logic. The combination of first-party data, AI, and interactive formats transforms the big screen into a full-funnel channel, capable of simultaneously driving awareness, consideration, and conversion.
From a marketing point of view, the Connected TV It allows you to move from a planning primarily based on reach to an approach driven by relevance and segmentation. Brands can differentiate creatives by audience clusters, test message variations, and accurately measure the impact on KPIs such as brand lift, website traffic, or increased brand searches.
At the business level, this translates into greater efficiency of media investments and a better ability to connect communication activities to commercial results. A campaign on Connected TV For example, it can encourage users to interact with the brand on their smartphones, through QR codes, dedicated landing pages, or chatbots on messaging channels like WhatsApp Business, thus integrating TV and conversational channels.
For customer experience, the ability to activate interactive formats and omnichannel paths makes communication more engaging and less intrusive. Instead of interrupting the experience, Connected TV It offers personalized experiences that can continue naturally on mobile, social, or apps, building a stronger relationship between brand and consumer.
Finally, the synergy between Connected TV, marketing automation, and messaging channels open up new opportunities for lead generation, nurturing, and post-sales. Data collected from connected TV campaigns can feed automation and CRM systems, enabling targeted follow-ups and personalized communications on users' most popular channels.
How SendApp Can Help with Connected TV
In this scenario, integrating the Connected TV With a conversational communication strategy on WhatsApp Business, it becomes a competitive advantage. CTV campaigns can generate interest and traffic, but it's in the next phase – dialogue, support, conversion – that a platform like WhatsApp Business comes into play. SendApp, specializing in WhatsApp automation.
Thanks to SendApp Official, companies can connect campaigns on Connected TV to automated conversational flows via official WhatsApp APIs. For example, a Smart TV ad can invite users to message on WhatsApp to receive a coupon, take a quiz, or get personalized information, with automatic response management and performance tracking.
For sales and support teams, SendApp Agent allows you to manage conversations generated by activities Connected TV Collaboratively. Multiple agents can work on the same WhatsApp number, with chat assignments, internal notes, and performance KPIs, transforming the connected TV into a real lead generation and customer care engine.
With SendApp Cloud, it is possible to automate advanced flows: welcome messages for those arriving from the CTV campaign, scheduled follow-ups, abandoned cart reminders and segmentations based on user responses. The data collected from the campaigns on Connected TV they can thus fuel nurturing paths on WhatsApp with a high engagement rate.
Integrate Connected TV WhatsApp Business means combining the power of the big screen with the power of instant messaging: awareness and visual impact on the one hand, one-to-one conversation and conversion on the other. Companies that want to take full advantage of this synergy can request a dedicated consultation or activate a free trial of SendApp, building an omnichannel strategy that truly puts the customer at the center.
