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A comprehensive local CTV glossary every advertiser needs in 2026
Connected TV (CTV) is central to local advertising, yet the terminology can be confusing. If you’re asking, “What is ACR data?”, “What does incremental reach mean in CTV?” or “How does programmatic frequency capping work?” You’re not alone. The 2026 local CTV dictionary explains key terms that advertisers need to plan smarter, target audiences accurately, and measure results confidently.
What is ACR data?
ACR data is information collected directly from the screen. It uses audio or video fingerprinting to identify what content is being displayed, regardless of the source. This includes content from built-in smart TV apps, cable set-top boxes, gaming consoles, and even external devices like laptops or Blu-ray players connected via HDMI.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
ACR data captures every on-screen interaction to reveal real household viewing behavior. This allows local advertisers to drive incremental reach by targeting cord-cutters missed by linear buys, while enabling competitor conquesting by serving real-time counter-offers to rival-exposed households. By eliminating measurement blind spots, ACR supports the precise targeting and attribution needed to drive measurable results across all environments.
What is addressable advertising?
Addressable advertising allows advertisers to deliver different ads to different households watching the same program, based on data-driven targeting criteria.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Addressable TV moves local advertisers beyond broad buys, enabling household-level precision based on location, behavior, or intent – without sacrificing scale.
What is audience-based buying?
Audience-based buying prioritizes who you’re reaching rather than where; which network, channel, or program your ad appears in.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
This approach allows advertisers to scale reach across premium inventory while staying focused on high-value audiences, not just placements or content.
What is attribution in CTV?
Attribution is the process of connecting ad exposure to downstream outcomes, such as store visits, website traffic, or conversions.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
CTV attribution helps local advertisers prove real-world impact – showing how streaming ads drive awareness, foot traffic, and measurable business results.
How does CTV attribution differ from digital or linear attribution?
CTV attribution focuses on household- or device-level exposure across streaming content, rather than cookie-based digital tracking or broad linear impressions. This allows advertisers to link ad exposure to real-world outcomes, like store visits or website conversions, with higher precision for cross-screen campaigns.
What is co-viewing?
Co-viewing refers to multiple people watching the same CTV screen simultaneously, often within a household.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Accounting for co-viewing leads to more accurate reach and frequency estimates, particularly for household-level campaigns. We account for this by using household graphs to estimate the number of viewers present during an ad exposure based on factors like the time of day, content genre (e.g., family movies or live sports), and known household makeup. By applying this, local advertisers can capture the true scale of their audience.
What is cross-screen deduplication?
Cross-screen deduplication removes duplicate audiences exposed to ads across multiple channels, such as linear TV, CTV, and mobile.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Deduplicated reach clarifies true incremental impact and helps prevent overexposure across screens.
What is a DSP?
A demand-side platform is a technology used by advertisers to buy ad inventory programmatically across channels like CTV, digital, and mobile.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
DSPs allow local advertisers to activate audience-based buying, apply frequency caps, optimize delivery in real time and measure performance across premium streaming inventory.
Can DSPs target audiences in specific zip codes?
Yes. DSPs allow advertisers to target audiences at granular geographic levels , including zip codes and even hyper-local neighborhoods. This makes local CTV campaigns highly precise, ensuring ads reach the right viewers in the right locations.
What is first-party data?
First-party data is information a business collects directly from its own customers, such as website or app activity, CRM records, or loyalty program data.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
First-party data fuels more accurate targeting, customer suppression, and smarter sequencing while providing a clear map of the complete consumer journey. By tracking how users interact with your brand across every touchpoint – from initial CTV exposure to final purchase – local advertisers can eliminate journey friction and optimize their media mix as third-party cookies disappear.
What types of first-party data are most effective for CTV campaigns?
First-party data that captures customer behavior, intent, or loyalty is most effective. Examples include CRM data, website activity, past purchases, and loyalty program engagement. This data enables precise audience targeting, customer suppression, and smarter creative sequencing in CTV campaigns.
What is frequency capping?
Frequency capping limits the number of times a specific household or device sees the same ad within a defined period of time.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Programmatic frequency capping protects the viewer experience while ensuring budgets are spent efficiently.
What is a household graph?
A household graph connects devices, screens, and data signals to a single household.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Household graphs support more accurate targeting, frequency control, and attribution in a fragmented, multi-device viewing environment.
How does a household graph improve campaign measurement accuracy?
A household graph links multiple devices, screens, and data signals to a single household, reducing duplication and improving frequency management. This helps advertisers measure reach more accurately and attribute outcomes to the right viewers across connected devices.
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What is incremental reach?
Incremental reach measures the additional audience reached by a campaign beyond those already exposed through other channels, such as linear TV.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
CTV excels at extending reach for cord-cutters and light-TV viewers, making incremental reach a key KPI for local advertisers optimizing media mix.
What is local CTV?
Local CTV refers to streaming TV advertising targeted to specific geographic areas, such as zip codes or household locations.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Local CTV delivers the impact of television with the precision of digital – helping advertisers reach the right audiences in the right places.
Which local targeting options are available for CTV campaigns?
You can target via:
For maximum precision, utilize Madhive’s Data Marketplace (MDM). MDM allows you to activate high-quality third-party data or your own first-party lists to ensure local campaigns hit the specific households most likely to convert, minimizing waste and maximizing ROI.
What is programmatic advertising?
Programmatic advertising uses automated technology to buy and sell ad inventory in real time, based on data and predefined rules.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Programmatic buying enables scalable campaigns, advanced targeting, and real-time optimization with transparent reporting. Most importantly, it provides the precision needed to drive measurable outcomes at the local level, ensuring that every impression is an investment in a specific, high-value consumer within your target neighborhood.
What is the difference between programmatic advertising and non-programmatic advertising?
Non-programmatic advertising involves manual negotiations and “handshake deals” for specific ad spots, and programmatic advertising uses automated technology to buy audiences across thousands of channels in real-time. This shift allows local advertisers to move away from buying specific shows and instead focus on reaching the right individual viewers with far greater precision and efficiency.
What are reach and frequency?
Reach is the number of unique households or viewers exposed to an ad, and frequency is how often they see it.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
In CTV, initial reach builds fast, but you eventually hit a plateau where buying more impressions just increases frequency for the same viewers. Because of this, performance is driven less by the total volume of ads and more by managing audience duplication across different platforms.
What is reach extension?
Reach extension uses CTV to find the incremental audience your current media mix is missing, whether you’re scaling beyond linear TV, social, or digital video. By identifying who has already seen your ads on other channels, CTV captures the unique households that remain, ensuring your budget drives new growth rather than redundant views.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
CTV serves as the high-impact anchor of an omnichannel strategy, allowing local advertisers to bridge the gap between digital precision and big-screen storytelling. By synchronizing CTV with social, mobile, and search, you create a unified brand presence that follows the local consumer journey across every device in the household.
What is an SSP?
A supply-side platform (SSP) is used by publishers and media owners to automatically list, manage, and sell their ad space to the highest bidder. You’ll find them integrated directly into the programmatic ecosystem, acting as the bridge that connects premium inventory to advertisers via ad exchanges.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
SSPs provide access to premium streaming supply across both local and national publishers.
SSP (Supply-side platform): A platform publishers use to sell and manage streaming ad inventory.
DSP (Demand-side platform): A platform advertisers use to buy, target, and optimize streaming ad inventory.
Why it matters to local advertisers:
SSPs control access to premium supply, while DSPs control how audiences are reached, budgets are deployed, and performance is measured. Understanding both is essential to running efficient, transparent CTV campaigns.
What is first-party data?
Third-party data is information collected by an entity that does not have a direct relationship with the consumer. This data is typically aggregated from various sources – such as public records, purchase histories, and browsing behavior – and sold through data providers to help advertisers build broader audience profiles.
Why it matters for local advertisers:
Third-party data allows local advertisers to expand their reach beyond their existing customer base. By layering demographic or interest-based data onto a campaign, advertisers can find new ‘lookalike’ audiences or target specific consumer segments – like “likely car buyers” or “new movers” – within a particular zip code.
As local CTV continues to mature, advertisers who understand the language behind the channel gain a clear advantage. A shared vocabulary leads to smarter planning, cleaner measurement, and more efficient media investment – turning streaming TV into a predictable, high-performing growth channel.
Ready to put these concepts into action?
Madhive helps local advertisers activate premium CTV inventory, apply advanced data strategies, and measure real-world impact with confidence. Explore our latest insights and case studies, or request a demo to see how smarter local CTV starts here.
