Why CTV Needs a New Measurement Playbook 

Let’s face it: CTV was a big — if not the main — event at this year’s Upfronts. The audience is there. The premium content is there. And as Viant CMO Jon Schulz recently pointed out, live sports are also making the move to streaming.  Viant SVP of Business Development Tom Wolfe added fuel to the fire with his bold takes for the ‘25 Upfronts (cluckstruck, anyone?). And now, it’s time to talk measurement.

Because while the spotlight is on CTV, our measurement models? They’re stuck in reruns.

In his LinkedIn post, Viant SVP of Platform and Analytics Steven Ohrnstein puts it bluntly: “CTV will never ‘win’ in a last-touch attribution model — and that’s not a failure of CTV, but a flaw in how we measure impact in advertising today.”

And he’s absolutely right. If we’re measuring the future of media with yesterday’s tools, we’re missing the big picture.

(PS – Don’t miss our Upfronts recap blog!)

Why Last-Touch Attribution Falls Flat in a CTV-First World

Last-touch attribution has been the comfort food of digital measurement for years. Easy to understand. Familiar. And totally ill-equipped to deal with today’s cross-device, cross-channel chaos.

In a world where CTV kicks off the consumer journey — raising awareness, building interest and shaping intent — giving all the credit to the final click is like congratulating the closer without acknowledging the setup. (Sorry, search and social. You didn’t do it alone.)

Last-touch ignores:

• Upper-funnel influence: Where CTV shines brightest.
  
• Time-lagged conversions: People don’t buy mattresses the second they see an ad.
  
• The whole journey: From TV screen to mobile to desktop and back again.
  

From Attribution to Contribution: The CTV Upgrade

At Viant, we believe it’s time to graduate from basic attribution to something smarter: contribution-based measurement.

This shift lets advertisers stop asking, “Who swooped in at the end?” and start asking, “Who moved the needle — and when?”

With a contribution model, you can:

• Measure incremental lift from CTV exposure
  
• Use attention metrics to understand not just if the ad was seen, but how meaningfully
  
• Evaluate cross-channel influence across the full media mix
  

And with Viant’s analytics and our partnership with IRIS.TV, we’re helping advertisers capture what really matters — the mid- and upper-funnel magic that last-touch ignores.

Rethinking CTV Measurement Beyond the Cookie

Sure, Google decided not to move forward with the third-party cookie apocalypse. But even if cookies stick around, they’re not the future — especially for CTV.

That’s why Viant built the Household ID™ Technology: a cookieless, privacy-forward identity solution that works across devices in the same residence. It gives advertisers real measurement power — without relying on tech that’s being phased out, restricted or just isn’t built for TV.

With Household ID™ Technology, marketers get visibility into the full consumer journey — from that first CTV impression to the final action — all in a durable, people-based way.

The Moment to Measure Smarter

Here’s the thing: more advertisers are doubling down on CTV as seen in last month’s Upfronts. But making the investment is only half the equation — you also have to prove it worked.

That’s where smarter measurement comes in:

• Don’t just count clicks — measure contribution
  
• Don’t settle for impressions — track attention
  
• Don’t assume impact — prove incrementality
  

Because in today’s media landscape, the channel that closes the deal isn’t always the one that made it happen. And with CTV, it’s often the first impression that does the heavy lifting.

Final Thought: The Future Isn’t Just Live — It’s Smarter

CTV isn’t coming — it’s already here. And it’s not just changing what we watch, but how we plan, buy, and measure media.

As Steven Ohrnstein said, “The advertisers who shift from attribution to contribution will be best positioned to win in CTV.” That’s the mindset shift we need