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CTV advertising can now be bought at Viant based on measured viewer attention. Since October 19 2026, the US adtech platform has offered attention targeting for Connected TV: advertisers can specifically select or exclude environments with high, medium or low attention. At the same time, IAB Europe has published new measurement rules for streaming advertising. For media planners, the question now moves to the center: how much reach that is actually noticed does their budget buy.
How Viant turns attention into a buying signal
The technology is based on data from TVision, which Viant acquired in the spring. In a US household panel, the company examines, among other things, whether people are in the room during the ad break, how many watch together, and whether their eyes are directed at the screen.
Viant sorts measured attention into three dynamic categories: High, Medium and Low. Brands can, for example, exclude the lowest category or focus more on high-attention environments for an awareness flight. The new CTV Attention Report shows the attention rate and attention index, shared screen use, presence in the room, and a attention-adjusted cost per thousand contacts, the aCPM. According to Viant's product announcement, the report is initially available to CTV customers at no additional cost.
According to TVision, in 30 percent of the measured ad situations a spot runs while no one is in the room. Even when viewers are present, in 45 percent of cases they are not looking at the screen. These figures come from the US panel and are not a benchmark for German streaming households.
Europe's new rules: clean delivery first, then impact
The real progress lies in more precise media planning, not in yet another attractive dashboard figure. This is shown by the comparison with the CTV Measurement Framework, which IAB Europe published on the 1 October . The association divides measurement into three levels: valid delivery including TV-off detection, exposure and reach, and downstream impact from brand lift through to conversions and attention.
The five transparency principles call for, among other things, uniform definitions, traceable measurement boundaries, information on device status and meaningful reporting depth. This is directly practical for German advertisers: an attention-weighted CPM is only useful for comparing streaming platforms once observation, modelling and shared TV use are reported in a comparable way.
How difficult comparability of inventory alone is already shown by the Wurl analysis of inconsistent genre labels in CTV. Attention adds another quality feature to planning – in addition to context, costs and audience reach.
What brands should now test with their CTV budget
Anyone optimising streaming campaigns can run classic CPM bookings against a variant with attention targeting and evaluate the aCPM alongside reach and frequency. With identical creative and a comparable target audience, it then becomes clear whether better attention is worth its premium.
Combining this with the actual campaign goal is important. Hallmark and iSpot link streaming contacts with purchases; Netflix is expanding its conversion measurement. Such data can complement attention reporting when an advertiser wants to increase sales or sign-ups rather than mere visibility.
The timing fits the market: YouTube's TV advertising business is growing strongly, and more and more video budgets are meeting on the same big screen. The decisive next step is therefore not only which spot was delivered, but how efficiently it actually reaches audiences.
Sources: Viant, product launch dated 19 October 2026; IAB Europe, CTV Measurement Framework dated 1 October 2026; Adweek, discussion on CTV attention measurement dated 30 September 2026.