This year, 70% of marketers are hiking their CTV/OTT spend by an average of 17%. It’s not just a trend anymore, it’s a massive shift in how we reach people. But more money doesn’t always equal better results. The 2026 PREMION Survey shows that as budgets grow, so does the headache of managing them. Between fragmented platforms and “is this even working?” attribution, complexity is quietly killing campaign ROI. The brands winning right now aren’t just throwing money at the screen—they’re finding ways to stop the juggle and start spending smarter.
However, as investment climbs, so does fragmentation. Advertisers are now demanding more than just reach, they are looking for the digital precision and measurability that only advanced technology can provide.
Key Trends Driving the CTV/OTT Shift in 2026
The survey, conducted by Advertiser Perceptions, highlights a fundamental shift in how brands approach video advertising. Here is what’s driving the momentum:
- Integrated Strategies: 55% of CTV/OTT budgets are now managed by integrated or hybrid teams, proving that the silos between linear and digital are finally crumbling.
- The Power of Premium: A staggering 97% of advertisers agree that premium video content improves ROI performance goals. Quality inventory isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a performance multiplier.
- Full-Funnel Impact: 85% of advertisers agree CTV/OTT drives performance across the entire funnel, from initial awareness to final conversion.
- Budget Reallocation: Growth in CTV/OTT isn’t just coming from new money; it’s being siphoned from Broadcast Linear TV (28%), Digital Display (26%), and Social Media (21%).
The Challenge: Fragmentation and Scalability
Despite the optimism, significant hurdles remain. Advertisers cited fragmentation across platforms as the top barrier to achieving scale. Managing multiple providers often leads to:
- Difficulty deduplicating reach and frequency.
- Complexity in cross-channel planning.
- Challenges reaching audiences across “walled gardens”.
In fact, the average advertiser currently juggles 4.4 different CTV partners to try and patch together a complete campaign.
The El Toro Advantage: Solving the CTV/OTT Puzzle
The 2026 survey highlights exactly what advertisers are looking for: a way to manage premium inventory through a single platform to ensure optimal reach, frequency, and unified measurement. This is where El Toro excels.
El Toro’s patented IP-targeting technology provides the precision audience targeting that 37% of survey respondents identify as a top reason for increasing spend.
The El Toro Advantage:
- Precision over Fragmentation: While 43% of advertisers struggle with fragmented buying, El Toro’s 1:1 household targeting eliminates the guesswork, reaching the exact audience you want, without the waste.
- Verified ROI: 97% of advertisers want improved ROI. El Toro’s Match-Back Analysis provides the “advanced attribution” and “detailed reporting” that 33% of marketers are actively seeking to justify their spend.
- Omnichannel Integration: With 88% of advertisers agreeing that CTV enhances omnichannel performance, El Toro’s ability to coordinate CTV with direct mail and digital display ensures your brand remains the strategic anchor of every campaign.
- Access to Premium: Advertisers are prioritizing “brand-safe, premium inventory”. El Toro provides a single point of entry to high-quality streaming content, fulfilling the top advantage cited by 49% of marketers: achieving scale to target effectively.
Conclusion
The 2026 CTV/OTT landscape rewards precision. It punishes fragmentation. And it has no patience for campaigns stitched together across four-plus partners with no unified view of what’s actually working.
El Toro gives you the targeting accuracy of digital and the impact of the big screen — without the complexity that’s holding most advertisers back. Stop managing the chaos. Start owning your results.
Ready to simplify your CTV stack? Get started today.