CPM stands for 'cost per mille' — Latin for 'per thousand.' A $5 CPM means $5 to serve one thousand impressions. The metric exists because impressions in advertising sell in batches, and CPM normalizes pricing across very different campaign sizes.
CPM by channel varies enormously. Programmatic display: $1–5. Native programmatic: $3–8. Connected TV (CTV): $25–60. Linear TV broadcast (primetime): $20–50. Out-of-home billboards: $5–10. Bar TV (Atmosphere, large networks): $15–30. Curated bar TV (Highfloor and similar): $25–60 depending on the metro and venue mix. Rideshare in-vehicle: $10–25.
CPM is a directionally useful but incomplete metric. Two campaigns at the same CPM can produce dramatically different attributed lift if the audience attention quality differs — and bar TV's defining advantage is attention quality, which means CPM-on-CPM comparisons against programmatic display systematically undersell the channel's value. Highfloor reports against attributed-lift metrics (visits, calls, ticket velocity) alongside CPM so the comparison is apples-to-apples.